Roasted Asparagus Bundles
One of my greatest triumphs in my marriage is getting my husband to eat asparagus. This is one of our favorite ways to eat it. The salty proscuitto adds an amazing blast of flavor to the already delicious asparagus. This is a beautiful side to serve if you are entertaining. This recipe makes 4 bundles.
Ingredients:
Approximately 24 fresh asparagus stalks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices of prosciutto
Instructions:
1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2) Trim the asparagus by snapping off the tough end of each stem.
3) Spread the asparagus on the baking sheet and toss it with the olive oil, salt, and pepper to coat.
4) Spread asparagus out to form one single layer on the baking sheet. (see picture)
5) Roast in the oven until it is tender – about 10-15 minutes for medium sized asparagus stalks.
6) Right when the asparagus comes out, divide it into bunches of 6 stalks. Wrap each bunch with a slice of the prosciutto. The tops and ends should be sticking out. The bundles are ready to serve.
Notes:
- If you don’t have proscuitto, that’s fine. Just roast the asparagus as directed and top with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Yum!
- When you are buying asparagus you want to look for firm (not wilted) stems and you want the tops to be tight and closed.
- I would avoid super-skinny and super-fat asparagus. They taste just fine, but I think a medium sized stalk is the prettiest.
- You can buy proscuitto pre-packaged, but I highly recommend you get it fresh-sliced from the deli if you can. I like the Boarshead Proscuitto Piccolo (available at Publix).
- If you want an extra kick of flavor, infuse your oil with garlic. Place ½ cup of olive oil into a small microwave safe container. Microwave for 15-20 seconds or until slightly warm. Crush a large clove of garlic and place it into the oil. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Remove the garlic. Your oil will have a slight hint of garlic flavor.