Asparagus Alla Fontina Recipes

FONTINA ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; add asparagus. Cook, covered, until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and pat dry., On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry sheet into a 16x12-in. rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes., Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry to within 1/2-in. of edges. Place asparagus over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over top. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

FRITTATA WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATO, AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the tomato and a pinch of salt and saute 2 minutes longer. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus mixture and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate.

PORK OR CHICKEN ROLLS WITH FONTINA AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Slip in the asparagus, and blanch until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Run the asparagus under cold water and pat dry. Bring the chicken stock to simmer in a small pot, then add the dried porcini and remove from heat. Let soak.
• Slice the pork crosswise into twelve slices. Pound the pork slices to an even 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet. Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lay the pork on your work surface, and evenly divide the tomato strips on top, lining them along the longer side of the pork slice. Put an asparagus spear on each slice, and cut to fit on the meat. Divide the fontina evenly among the pork slices, and sprinkle with the parsley. Roll up the pork snugly around the asparagus, tomato, and cheese, tucking the ends in, to enclose the filling. Close each roll with a toothpick or two.
• Drain the porcini from the broth, reserving the soaking liquid, and coarsely chop. Spread the flour on a rimmed plate. Dredge the pork rolls in the flour, tapping off the excess. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the pork rolls and brown on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the browned rolls to a plate.
• Toss the sage leaves into the Dutch oven. When the sage is sizzling, add the sliced fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté until the mushrooms are browned and softened, about 6 minutes. Pour the white wine into the Dutch oven with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil, and let the wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes; then pour in the porcini soaking liquid. Bake the pork, uncovered, until cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes. If the pork is cooked but the sauce is too thin, remove the pork to a plate and reduce the sauce on the stovetop. Remove toothpicks before serving.

ASPARAGUS AND FONTINA QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Using a vegetable peeler, slice the asparagus lengthwise into long, thin strips, starting just under the tip of each stalk. Leave the tips whole. (Alternatively, cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.)
• In a pot with a steamer insert or in a covered sauté pan fitted with an expandable steamer basket, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the steamer insert or basket, cover, and steam until tender, about 30 seconds for strips and about 3 minutes for pieces.
• Rinse the asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir in the Fontina, Gruyère, and reserved asparagus.
• Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
• Bake until lightly golden and set in the center when the pan is gently pushed, 40 to 45 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover it with foil to prevent it from burning.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 or 8 slices and serve warm or at room temperature.
• The quiche is best served the day it is made. Tightly wrap leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

ASPARAGUS-FONTINA-PROSCIUTTO WRAPS

Steps:

• Saute or grill the asparagus until slightly tender. Let cool. Wrap each stalk with a slice of fontina and the prosciutto. Serve with an Aioli dipping sauce.
• Place the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic, and salt into a food processor. Process until well blended. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until the mixture thickens. Scrape into a bowl and squeeze a few more drops of lemon juice over the top, stir and set aside.

ASPARAGUS WITH FONTINA & CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp tender. Drain. Place the butter in a saucepan and add the heavy cream. Add the Fontina cheese and cook until melted and smooth,
• 2. Serve the asparagus with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the Parmigiano

ASPARAGUS WITH FONTINA AND CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Clean and snap ends off of asparagus, Cook asparagus.
• While asparagus is cooking, prepare the sauce.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat.
• Add the cream and fontina cheese.
• Cook, stirring until the cheese melts and the cream has thickened and reduced by half--1 to 2 minutes.
• Season slightly with salt.
• Drain the asparagus and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place asparagus on platter, spoon on cream sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve at once.

ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO CROSTINI WITH FONDUTA

Steps:

• Make fonduta:
• In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water melt butter. Add Fontina and milk and heat, stirring with a whisk, until cheese begins to melt. Whisk in yolks and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until smooth and thickened slightly, about 7 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and remove bowl from pan. Stir sauce 1 minute while water in pan cools slightly. Return bowl to pan and keep sauce warm over hot water (off heat), whisking occasionally to eliminate skin that forms on surface.
• Preheat broiler.
• On a baking sheet toast bread about 3 inches from heat, turning, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Rub tops of crostini with cut side of garlic and brush with oil. Season crostini lightly with salt. Divide crostini among 4 plates and top with prosciutto.
• In a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet bring 1 1/4 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a colander and drain. Divide asparagus among crostini. Pour fonduta over them.

FRIED FONTINA AND PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Set a large bowl of cold water by the sink. Bend each stalk of asparagus until it snaps and discard the tough ends. Remove the tough outer skin of the asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler. Slide the spears into the boiling water and cook until the asparagus is tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and plunge into the cold water. Let stand until cooled through. Drain thoroughly and pat the spears dry.
• On a clean and dry work surface, lay out a slice of Fontina cheese with one of the corners facing you. Lay an asparagus spear over the cheese so the corner of the cheese closest to you is about halfway down the stalk. Roll the cheese tightly around the asparagus, covering the entire stalk with Fontina. Lay out a slice of prosciutto as you did the Fontina. Place a sage leaf over one end of the prosciutto and roll the cheese-coated asparagus spears up to enclose them completely. Tuck any overhanging cheese and prosciutto underneath the asparagus to make a neat bundle. Repeat with the remaining asparagus.
• Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Spread the flour and bread crumbs in an even layer on two separate plates.
• Dredge the asparagus bundles in flour to coat all sides. Tap off excess flour. Roll the asparagus in the beaten egg to coat. Remove the asparagus, allowing any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the asparagus to the bread crumbs and roll, pressing lightly, to coat evenly with the crumbs. Remove to a clean baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining asparagus bundles.
• Heat the oven to 200° F or lowest setting. Line a baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels. Pour the vegetable oil and olive oil into a deep skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until the oil registers 350° F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you're frying without a thermometer, the oil is ready when one end of an asparagus bundle gives off a lively but steady sizzle when dipped in the oil.) Once the oil reaches the desired temperature, adjust the heat under the pot to maintain a steady temperature, and continue adjusting the heat as necessary during frying. Carefully slip as many asparagus spears into the oil as will fit without touching. Fry the asparagus, turning as necessary with tongs or a slotted spoon, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Keep them warm in the oven while frying remaining asparagus bundles. Serve hot.

FRITTATA WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATO, AND FONTINA CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper to blend. Set aside. In a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the oil and butter over a medium flame. Add the asparagus and sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté 2 minutes longer. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus mixture and sprinkle the cheese over. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler and broil until the top is set and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Let the frittata stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from the skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve.