Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus With Fontina Recipes

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare the spicy marinara sauce:.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.
• Add mushrooms and crushed red pepper; sauté until mushrooms just begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and reserved juices. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add tomato sauce, sugar, basil and oregano. Cover and cook 15 minutes.
• Uncover and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Prepare asparagus:.
• Wash and trim tough bottoms off of asparagus. Dry well on paper towels or tea towel. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil to coat well. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. (use very little salt as the prosciutto has a lot of salt).
• Wrap each asparagus in one slice of prosciutto, so that both the top and bottom ends are sticking out. Secure with a toothpick.
• Prepare grill to medium low heat. Grill the wrapped asparagus till the ends are lightly browned (slight charring) and the proscuitto is crispy.
• Assemble:.
• Spoon a thin layer of the spicy marinara on the bottom of a each plate (or blanket the bottom of a serving platter) Remove toothpicks from the asparagus and arrange nicely on top of the sauce. Top with even portions of the grated fontina cheese. Place a few more small spoonfuls of the tomato sauce decoratively on and around the cheese topped asparagus. Garnish with additional chopped basil or some chopped parsley.

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.

SEARED PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC DRIZZLE

Steps:

• 1. Put vinegar into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by about two-thirds and slightly syrupy, 8-10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside to let syrup cool.
• 2. Meanwhile, steam asparagus in a steamer basket set over a pot of boiling water over high heat until just tender, about 4 minutes. Set asparagus aside to let cool.
• 3. Lay 1 slice of prosciutto on a clean surface with one of the narrow ends closest to you. Put 2 asparagus spears on end closest to you, perpendicular to prosciutto, with tips facing in the same direction, then roll up prosciutto around asparagus and set aside. Repeat with remaining prosciutto and asparagus.
• 4. Working in 3 batches, melt 1 tablespoons butter in a large cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 of the asparagus-prosciutto bundles, judiciously season with salt, and cook until browned on each side, about 45 seconds per side. Transfer to a large warm plate. Repeat process twice with remaining butter and asparagus-prosciutto bundles.
• 5. Drizzle some of the vinegar syrup on each of the warm plates, then divide asparagus-prosciutto bundles evenly between plates.

ASPARAGUS, POACHED EGG, PROSCIUTTO AND FONTINA CHEESE

Steps:

• To roast the asparagus: Place the asparagus in a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil over it and sprinkle with the salt, tossing to coat.
• Scatter 16 of the thyme sprigs onto a baking sheet and lay the asparagus over them to cover.
• Roast in a preheated 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes, until tender to the touch but firm in the center.
• To grill the bread: Butter each side of each slice.
• In a pan over medium heat, lightly brown each side; remove to a plate and let cool just long enough to handle.
• Rub one side of each slice with the garlic clove, then place on a baking sheet, garlic side up.
• Arrange the asparagus evenly over the bread.
• To poach the eggs: Use Paula G's easy poaching method Recipe #118761, or in a medium saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to just below a simmer and add the vinegar and salt.
• Crack an egg into a small bowl to check that the yolk isn't broken.
• Slowly stir the water in one direction to create a whirlpool effect.
• Once the whirlpool has slowed a little, carefully slide the egg into the water against the side of the pan, following the current of the water as you pour, so the white envelops the yolk.
• Repeat the process with each egg, poaching them for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are runny.
• Carefully remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate; cup the eggs with your hand and tip the plate to drain off the water.
• To assemble: Center an egg on top of the asparagus on each toast; drape a slice of the cheese over each egg.
• Heat the sandwiches under the broiler just until the cheese melts.
• Remove the sandwiches from the oven, rumple a slice of prosciutto over each, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with fresh pepper.
• Garnish with the remaining thyme; serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED WITH PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Pour the vinegar into a small pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium low and reduce the vinegar by about 1/4, or until it is thick. Let cool.
• Put a pot of salted water over high heat. Trim the asparagus spears to that they are all the same length. Peel the bottom half of the spears with a vegetable peeler. Tie the asparagus together into a bundle using kitchen string. When the water is boiling, lower the asparagus into the pot and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Plunge the asparagus into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When it is completely cold, remove the spears and lay them out onto a rack to dry.
• Roll a slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear. Arrange them on a platter and drizzle over some olive oil. Sprinkle with some pepper and salt. Finally, dribble on some of the reduced balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

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.

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.

ASPARAGUS, PROSCIUTTO AND FONTINA TART

Steps:

• Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Place the pastry sheet onto the baking sheet. Brush the pastry sheet with the mustard. Fold in the edges of the rectangle about 1/4-inch and crimp with a fork to seal.
• Arrange the asparagus on the pastry in a single layer. Sprinkle with the prosciutto, fontina and thyme.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the asparagus is tender.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Snap the dry stem ends off of each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• Wrap each asparagus with 1 piece (about 1/2 a slice) of prosciutto, exposing tips. Arrange on a platter and serve at room temperature.