Asparagus Ham Salad Recipes

HAM STEAKS WITH ASPARAGUS-RICE SALAD

Steps:

• Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives and mustard in a bowl.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; reduce the heat to low and simmer until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the asparagus and simmer until the rice and asparagus are tender, about 3 more minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water, stirring gently to remove excess water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the lemon juice and half of the prepared chive sauce; season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ham steaks, overlapping as necessary, and cook, flipping occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the ham and cook, flipping often, until the sugar melts. Season with pepper. Serve with the rice salad, the remaining chive sauce and lemon wedges.

ASPARAGUS HAM DINNER

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, saute asparagus and yellow pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and ham; heat through. Drain pasta; add to mixture. Stir in parsley and seasonings. Sprinkle with cheese.

ASPARAGUS, HAM, AND POACHED EGG SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
• Fill the pasta pot with 3 quarts of water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the coarse salt and the asparagus. Blanch, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. (Cooking time will vary according to the size and tenderness of the asparagus.) Immediately remove the colander from the water, letting the water drain from the asparagus. Plunge the asparagus into the ice water so they cool down as quickly as possible and retain their crispness and bright green color. (The asparagus will cool in 1 to 2 minutes. After that, they will soften and begin to lose crispness and flavor.) Drain the asparagus and wrap it in a thick kitchen towel to dry. (Do not cook the asparagus in advance or it will lose its crispness.)
• Break each egg into a ramekin or small cup. Set aside. In a large, shallow saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the vinegar. One by one, bring the edge of a ramekin or cup level with the surface of the water and slide the egg in gently. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Poach the eggs until the whites are firm but the yolks are still runny and are covered with a thin, translucent layer of white, about 3 minutes.
• With the sieve or slotted spoon, carefully lift the eggs from the water and transfer them to several thicknesses of paper towels.
• Place the salad greens and chives in a large salad bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to coat the greens lightly and evenly.
• Place the asparagus on a large plate and add just enough dressing to lightly coat the spears. Roll the asparagus in the dressing.
• Arrange the dressed greens at one side of each of 4 large dinner plates. (Rectangular plates are particularly beautiful here.) Carefully place a poached egg alongside. Arrange 4 asparagus spears next to the eggs. Carefully drape a slice of ham over each of the poached eggs. Season the greens lightly with fine sea salt and generously with pepper. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with the toast.

SPRING ASPARAGUS, HAM AND POTATO SALAD - HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

Steps:

• Make up the dressing by putting all the dressing ingredients into a jar and shaking it well. The dressing can be made up well in advance.
• Choose two attractive plates or bowls and start to assemble the salad.
• Place the potatoes on the plate/bowl first and then arrange the strips of ham & asparagus spears over the top - gently mix through to "just" mingle the ingredients together.
• Next, scatter the minced/finely diced red onion over and then the sliced cornichons - if you are using them.
• Pour over the honey & mustard dressing - giving the salad a liberal dousing!
• Season and scatter the chopped chives and/or the chopped chervil over the top.
• Serve with crusty bread & a glass of crisp, chilled white Chablis or Chardonnay!
• Optional ideas:.
• You could also add peas, broad beans, olives or crispy bacon!

DEEP-DISH HAM QUICHE WITH HERB AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter; mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the egg yolk and 3 tablespoons ice water in a small bowl; work into the dough until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch round. Carefully roll up the dough onto the rolling pin (this may take a little practice) and lay it inside a 9-inch springform pan. Press the dough firmly into the bottom and side; trim the excess. Put the pan on a sturdy baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to fill.
• Prepare the filling: Put a skillet over medium-low heat and coat with the olive oil. Add the onions and slowly cook, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize, 40 to 45 minutes. (Add a couple of tablespoons of water to help the onions break down, if needed.) Toss in the ham and cook, stirring, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Whisk in the cream; season with salt and pepper. Arrange the onions and ham in the crust and carefully pour in the egg-cream mixture; the filling should be about 1/2 inch from the top. Cover loosely with foil and bake 1 hour, 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the quiche is set but jiggles slightly, about 30 more minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; blanch the asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain. Slice into small pieces and put in a bowl; add the parmesan and herbs. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
• Loosen the quiche from the pan with a thin metal spatula, then remove the ring. Transfer the quiche to a plate and cut into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper. Top with the salad.

ASPARAGUS AND SERRANO HAM SALAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain spears, then refresh in ice water. Drain asparagus again and pat dry.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook almonds, bread crumbs, and cumin, stirring frequently, until toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool. Add remaining oil to vinegar in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss escarole with half of dressing and mound on plates. Arrange ham around escarole and top salad with asparagus. Drizzle asparagus with remaining dressing. Sprinkle salad with almond-and-crumb mixture.

HAM AND ASPARAGUS FETTUCCINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Stir asparagus into pot in the last five minutes of cooking; drain.
• While pasta is cooking, heat butter and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to bubble, stir in Parmesan, garlic powder, pepper and cayenne. Continue cooking until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in ham and heat through.
• Toss pasta and asparagus with sauce and serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS MOUSSE WITH HAM & RED ONION SALAD

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan. Once it's foaming, add the asparagus and cook for 4-5 mins until soft but not coloured. Remove from the pan and drain well on kitchen paper. Rinse out the pan and pour in the cream, milk and garlic. Bring to the boil, simmer until reduced to 350ml - check by pouring into a measuring jug - then add the asparagus and boil for a few secs. Remove from the heat.
• Blend the mixture in a liquidiser along with the spinach leaves, then sieve into a clean bowl. Add the soaked gelatine and stir until dissolved. Sieve again and allow to cool for a few mins in the fridge, but do not let it set.
• Beat the egg white to soft peaks, then carefully fold into the asparagus mix and season. Divide the mousse between 4 glasses or ramekins and leave them to set in the fridge.
• To make the ham salad, mix all the ingredients, apart from the watercress, in a small bowl and season. When the mousse is set, remove each glass from the fridge, place some watercress leaves on top of the mousse, spoon on the diced ham salad and drizzle with a little olive oil.

CRISPY PARMA HAM AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the eggs in a pan of boiling water for exactly 8 minutes. Sit a steamer or colander over the eggs, put in the asparagus, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender - alternatively, cook in a pan of water for 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the eggs and asparagus and cool under cold water.
• Melt the butter in a small pan than, with a wire whisk, beat in some lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat a ridged griddle pan. Cook the slices of parma ham, two at a time in the hot pan for 30 seconds on each side. Set aside on kitchen paper. Cook the asparagus in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes to give light bar marks.
• Shell and halve the eggs and arrange on four plates with the asparagus, topped with the crispy parma ham. Drizzle over the lemon butter dressing. Scatter over some shaved parmesan and top with a good grind of black pepper. A glass or two of chilled white wine is the perfect accompaniment to this dish.

ASPARAGUS HAM SALAD

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook asparagus in a small amount of water until crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes; drain well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar if desired; shake well. Cover ad refrigerate at least 1 hour. Place asparagus in a serving bowl. Top with ham, onions and dressing. Serve with a slotted spoon.