Monday, March 3, 2014

Spring Preview: Oven Baked Asparagus with Parmesan and Prosciutto


Winter has been long and chilly and everybody is longing for the first signs of spring.
We were lucky to escape the cold weather by the end of January when we travelled back to Peru and are now enjoying summer at it's best.


Here it's Asparagus season - a veggie we all love.
Back in our Austrian country home, my grandfather used to grow his own Asparagus in the vegetable garden.
Harvest time was from the end of April until the end of June (usual finishing at St Johns Day, the 24th of June)
I still remember the excitement when watching him cutting this delicacy so that our cook ( as most of the outstanding Central European cooks coming originally from  the Czech Republic) could prepare it as fresh as possible.
Nobody ever dared to come late for dinner because my grandfather took punctuality for this special dinner as serious as you can possibly imagine.
It was served after delicately cooking in slightly buttered salt water with a bit sugar added to enhance the flavor.
Served with a wonderful Sauce Hollandaise that literally melted in your mouth and matched the delicate asparagus flavor perfectly, this meal was as close as one could possibly be to culinary heaven.
One of the great qualities of asparagus is it's versatility.
The key to great taste is freshness and not to overcook this delicate veggie.
Todays preparation is quick and tastes fantastic.
You need only a few ingredients and the flavors and textures pair very well.
A great sneak or appetizer as well as a light meal, it will bring a bit of spring time feeling to your table.
I wanted to apologies for the poor quality of some of the pictures but I had some problems with  my camera.

You need:

1 bunch (about 1/2kg) green asparagus
1/4  cup melted butter
1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
100g thinly sliced Prosciutto or Serrano ham, halved
1teaspoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly grated pepper (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 220 C ( 425F)
cut the ends of the asparagus off (don't throw them away, they make a great cream soup!), leaving you with about 9 cm spears from the tip to the middle of the spear.


Blanch the asparagus for just 1 to 2 minutes in boiling water with a bit of salt.

Drain and pat dry with paper towel.
Brush with melted butter.

Coat in grated parmesan cheese

Wrap each asparagus with a 1/2 a slice of prosciutto.

season with salt and freshly ground pepper (I recommend very little salt as the parmesan and prosciutto are already salty)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place asparagus onto  the baking sheet

and bake for about 7 minutes or until parmesan is golden brown.

Sprinkle with a bit of Olive oil and lemon juice (optional)











Enjoy!


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74 comments:

  1. I am so looking forward to spring as well, Daniela! This looks the perfect starter to a great meal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Denise,
      hope the nice weather will come soon, we are all longing for some warmth and sunshine:)

      Delete
  2. I can't wait for spring and the fresh batch of asparagus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beth,
      I know we are spoiled here regarding the climate, but spring is ante portas for you soon, bringing along all this wonderful greenery.

      Delete
  3. Seriously...I could eat a whole pan of these all by myself in one sitting! They look so good and I just KNOW they taste fantastic!!! Asparagus can be a tricky thing to work with, but this looks to be "no-fail." I think tomorrow is the last day of the good sale the market had on asparagus, so I'm going to snatch up a bunch and try this! I'll eat the first trial run batch, and if they turn out good...THEN I will share the next time around! ;-)

    Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Alycia for this sweet comment.
      Hope you will enjoy your asparagus.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. asparagus and proscuitto! this combo never fails! yum!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love asparagus!! These look divine~
    I am sure spring is always lovely, with all the cool breeze and beautiful blossoms. Over here, we just wished it would rain really soon :-P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Christy for stopping by and I hope you will get a bit of rain soon!

      Delete
  6. Asparagus has always been a favorite vegetable of mine too. Love this parceled presentation with cheese and prosciutto. I could certainly use a SPRING preview too, been so cold.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Evelyne,
      I hope spring is showing up soon, it has been such a long winter.
      Great to hear that you liked this way of preparing asparagus.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  7. There is nothing better than these ingredients - nothing!! I've made this and other variations of your recipe and it's ALWAYS delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad to hear to that, Kristy.
      Have a great week ahead!

      Delete
  8. A favourite of mine too! These are a great appetizer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, we all love them and it seems I can never prepare enough :)
      Cheers.

      Delete
  9. Daniela, what a treat - wir lieben, lieben Spargel, aber meist ist der Spargel hier ja weiß, aber ich versuche immer, auch grünen zu bekommen - und wenn dann hier die Spargelsaison losgeht, werde ich an dein wunderbares Rezept denken! Vielen Dank dafür und ganz liebe Grüße aus Bonn!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vielen Dank für das liebe Feedback, Andrea!
      Hoffe Du bekommst den grünen Spargel wenn die Saison startet.
      Liebe Grüße aus Lima!

      Delete
  10. A beautiful and delicious way to serve asparagus when having guests for dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A fabulous way of serving asparagus! Yes, spring is on its way...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rosa,
      spring IS on its way, I could see it from your beautiful pictures :)

      Delete
  12. My stomach is growling looking at these pics - looks delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm seeing asparagus from Peru in my supermarket! And of course bought some. This is such a great looking dish! Lovely combo of flavors, and so simple to make. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi John,
      hope you enjoyed the Peruvian asparagus, the green ones are usually very tasty :)
      Have a great week ahead!

      Delete
  14. I remember picking wild asparagus with my mother as a child. A favorite if mine also and your recipe sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucky you Susan, wild asparagus must have an amazing taste and it's such a lovely childhood memory.

      Delete
  15. Yeah! Spring is almost here...this asparagus wrapped in prosciutto look delicious, simple and very tasty Daniela.
    Thanks for the recipe...hope you are having a great week :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Juliana,
      yes almost :) Everybody is longing for spring by now.
      Have a great week ahead!

      Delete
  16. Your prosciutto wrapped asparagus dipped in parmesan cheese sounds and looks so delicious. A delightful start up for spring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Bam, glad to hear that you enjoyed the post!

      Delete
  17. Hi Daniela, you give me an idea how to prepare asparagus in a different way instead of the normal stir fry!!! I am sure I am going to enjoy this baked asparagus. Thanks for sharing, dear and your have a fabulous day ahead :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ivy,
      So happy to hear that this post inspired you to prepare asparagus in a different way.
      I'm sure you won't regret it :)
      Have a great weekend ahead !

      Delete
  18. Oh yum -- I love asparagus and am definitely starting to look forward to spring. These look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Amy!
      Wish you that you can enjoy springtime soon :)

      Delete
  19. This is such a great idea that didn't occur to me. Now I can't wait to try! I wrap asparagus with bacon but that's about it. Dipping in parmesan cheese... wow whole new level!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Nami for this encouraging comment.
      Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  20. I love your memories of dinner with your grandfather. Asparagus with hollandaise sauce is one of my most favourite meals - so simple but so perfect. I love the look of these too - they would make great appetisers or entrees xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Charlie,
      so glad to hear that you enjoyed the post!
      Cheers.

      Delete
  21. The best part about spring has to be asparagus -- love :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh Daniela, this looks simply heavenly and a perfect Spring treat. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Nice to hear stories about family members like your grandfather. I can relate to the picture of the asparagus wrapped in the prosciutto- it would give a nice salty contrast to the asparagus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Fran,
      he had an incredible personality and taught me to respect creation.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  24. We just moved into Autumn and I can't wait for Spring either. But it's a longer wait than those in the Northern Hemisphere. These appetizers look wonderful and so simple. A great recipe using Asparagus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Sonali for this kind feedback!
      Me too, I live in the Southern Hemisphere but fortunately Autumn has not started yet.

      Delete
  25. This is exactly the recipe I need to get

    ReplyDelete
  26. Asparagus should show up here any day now. I can't wait to try this recipe! Just my type of flavors...thanks, Daniela! :) ela

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ela,
      glad to hear that you enjoyed the post and lets hope that Springtime will come soon in all it's splendour :)

      Delete
  27. Gosh, i guess i'm gonna enjoying patry at your house for sure then!!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yay for spring! This looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi my dear Daniela, wow.... love your 'dress up' asparagus... look so pretty. Very impressive and your effort to dress them up so nicely.. look so tempting. I'm sure it taste excellent. Thanks for sharing your great idea.

    Best regards. Hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia,
      thank you so much for this sweet comment!
      Have a great week ahead.

      Delete
  30. Me encantan los espárragos, es genial que podamos encontrarlos frescos y grandes, la verdad tenemos suerte. Y mira que cocinarlos con Prosciutto me parece ideal, sobre todo para servirlos de piqueo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Si tenemos suerte de tener estos asparagos tan deliciosos a mano.
      Gracias por la visita, Nydia!

      Delete
  31. Asparagus at the shops is a sure sign spring is somewhere close by! We've been getting a lot of asparagus at the shops now. Though there are a few signs of spring here, we had snow yesterday! I love the story of your grandfather. My granola was very particular about food too and gave it much reverence. These are perfect appetisers or snacks Daniela!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nazneen,
      let's hope that this long winter is over soon and you can enjoy spring time and all its delights.
      My grandpa had a wonderful personality and we always will remember his kindness.
      Have a grat day ahead!

      Delete
  32. I can't wait for our local asparagus to appear--it's almost time! Rolling the buttered spears in parmesan looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa,
      so glad to hear that you enjoyed this way to prepare asparagus.
      Have a great weekend ahead!

      Delete
  33. I look forward to asparagus season every year. Your recipe looks fantastic! Enjoy your summer:)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Daniela,

    I just left a comment but don't see it. Anyway, just want you to know how delicious your recipe looks.:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Nancy for bothering about the comment, I really appreciate it :)
      What happens is that when the comment box is full, one has the press the "load
      more" bottom at the end of the comment box to see all comments.

      Delete
  35. Love asparagus and prosciutto - they always serve it at the best restaurants!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi Daniela, very interesting recipe and it look very inviting. Usually I stir fry the asparagus with garlic and oyster sauce or just grill plain. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Have a wonderful week ahead,warmest regards.

    ReplyDelete

 
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