Simple Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Asparagus is one of the first vegetables available in spring. Crisp, mellow, and juicy. It makes a good side dish for easter brunch/lunch/dinner. Simply drizzle with olive oil, seaon with salt and pepper, and roast. But add a little prosciutto, and asparagus becomes everyone's favorite vegetable. In this recipe, I omitted any salt because the prosciutto is already considerably salty.

Simple Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Serves 4 to 5

1 bundle fresh asparagus

1 lb prosciutto

2 tbsp olive oil

1. Set oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Cut each slice of prosciutto in half, length-wise. Wrap one half slice of prosciutto around the middle of each asparagus spear, leaving one to two inches on both ends unwrapped. Drizzle with olive oil and spread evenly on a baking dish. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the asparagus is tender.

Asparagus Salad with Gorgonzola Basil Pesto

I am back from five beautiful days in Florida. We were there for a wedding but decided to stay a couple extra days to soak up some sun and beach time. Unfortunately, the ocean temperature was a bit too cold to go in, at least it was for me. Luckily I had brought my kindle, and was  just as content sitting on the beach and catching up on my reading.

One of the great things about returning to Minnesota at this time is that you really get to see the seasons change. When we left, everything was still brown and grey but in a matter of five days, trees are filled with small green leaves, lawns are already in all their glory, and Minnesotans are coming out of the winter rut. 

There are also seasonal changes  in the groceries. At the moment, asparagus are at their peak so I took the opportunity to snatch a fresh bunch. I do not remember where but I read that, when choosing them, you should look for thicker spears because they have a juicier interior and are sweeter. Previously, there was only one way in which I prepared asparagus: steamed for two to three minutes, then seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. To be honest, I am a little tired of that. So, today, I'm sharing my newest asparagus recipe. It does start by steaming but by adding a few extra ingredients a lowly side dish is transformed into a filling lunch or dinner salad.

Asparagus Salad with Gorgonzola Basil Pesto

Serves 2

1 lb asparagus

2 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

2 oz gorgonzola

5 or 6 large basil leaves 

1 small avocado

candied pecans

salt pepper

french bread, optional

1. To prepare pesto, puree gorgonzola, olive oil and basil leaves in food processor until relatively smooth. Set aside until ready to use.

2. Steam your asparagus for two minutes, or if you prefer, get four cups of water boiling, add asparagus and boil for a minute or two. Remove the steamed or boiled spears to an ice bath. 

3. Meanwhile, fry eggs in hot skillet. Season with salt. Alternatively boiled eggs can be substituted here. 

4. Plate the salad by layering half of the asparagus spears, an egg, drizzle on pesto and garnish with half of the sliced avocado and candied or plain pecans. Repeat for the next salad. Serve with a slice of french bread. 

*Remember, this recipe serves two but it can be easily doubled or tripled. 

Cracked Wheat Pilaf with Roasted Asparagus

Last night, we had Janet and Lindsey over for dinner. Unknowing to them, they have been added to my unofficial list of taste testers, my lab rats. On the menu were three of my tried and true recipes: guacamole, roasted chicken and avocado coleslaw; only this time I used all of the avocados in the guacamole so it was just coleslaw. The new recipe (this is where the lab rat part comes in) was a roasted asparagus pilaf. I have made this before with brown rice but this time I was inspired to use cracked wheat. I experiment with new ingredients often and have recently been trying to steer away from white rice and white flour. Cracked wheat is just one of many grains which can be substituted for white rice.
Cracked wheat looks similar to bulgur. In fact, they are both made from whole wheat kernels that had either been crushed or broken in to very small pieces. The difference is bulgur wheat kernels are steamed and toasted before being cracked; cracked wheat is not. Both are a good source of fiber and are both low glycemic (GI) index foods. Cracked wheat is quite popular in many Middle Eastern and North African countries and sometimes functions in the same way that rice does: as a base for savory meats and vegetables stews. Since it functions like rice, it works well in this pilaf. It also imparts an earthy, wheaty flavor. Remember, it is always a good idea to wash this type of wheat before cooking.
This recipe is so quick simple, it's perfect as for a week night dinner. Also, mix it up a little; try different types of nuts and dried fruit or a combiation of both.



Cracked Wheat Pilaf with Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cracked wheat, washed and drained
1 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 red onion, diced
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped finely

1. Spread asparagus evenly on a baking sheet and coat well with olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in a 450 degree F oven for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet. Once cool to the touch, cut diagonally and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, place a heavy pot over medium heat. Pour wheat and vegetable stock and cook until all of the stock has been absorbed and the wheat is soft and fluffy, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add diced red onion, raisins, shredded coconut, chopped pecans and asparagus to wheat. Toss well. Serve warm.

Note: This recipe has been entered in Mansi's Healthy Cooking blog event at Fun and Food.