52 New Recipes | Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
So, I tried a side dish for the first time during this project! I had some asparagus that needed to be used up, plus some prosciutto in my freezer, so this seemed like a perfect match.
I used a method I found by googling...basically you oil, salt, and pepper the asparagus, then wrap the spears in prosciutto.
Since my spears were really thin, I wrapped two in each slice of prosciutto, and then I broiled them for a few minutes on each side.
I thought the results were pretty good, although the prosciutto didn't get as crisp as I'd have hoped. I'm wondering if this is maybe because it was thawed from frozen? Maybe it wasn't as dry to start out as it should have been.
And I slightly overcooked the asparagus as it was, so broiling this dish longer would not have been the answer.
I did see an ATK recipe that calls for adding Boursin cheese inside the prosciutto. And other recipes that call for grilling.
So, I think I might try this concept again, but with a few tweaks.
(And with prosciutto that's not been frozen.)
Next Week's Recipe
Maybe this week I'll tackle the Carnitas recipe I meant to try a few weeks ago.
And I know from my failure last time that I really need to make a point of getting that cut of meat early in the week, because if I don't have that on hand, I'm totally gonna opt for something easier and quicker. 😉
I have loved this dish when I had it in the past. I hope you find a way to make it pleasing for you.
Ooooh, this is tasty! I've made prosciutto-wrapped asparagus once and it was tasty--but yeah, mine wasn't crispy, either. I've also done a prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast and it was salty deliciousness. I think I prefer to leave the prosciutto raw, otherwise it just tastes like deli-sliced ham to me. Can't wait to see those carnitas!
Next time try it stuffed with goat cheese. Add a balsamic drizzle after it's cooked. We also prefer it to be grilled. One of our favorite dishes!!
The one time my husband tried prosciutto, at an upscale restaurant (we were given a gift certificate) it was so tough he couldn't chew it, and he's been against it ever since, so I haven't bought it to try in anything, and I've never even tasted it. I wonder if thinly sliced ham would work...? I love broiled asparagus with mushrooms and onions; this sounds good, too.
My new recipe was a Vietnamese Bahn Mi chicken recipe, with lots of spice and onions, although I toned down the cayenne too much. I accidentally bought a really hot cayenne a while back, 30,000 Scoville units instead of 10,000, so when a recipe says, for instance, 1/2 teaspoon, I use a dash. Anyway, I thought it was quite tasty, but my husband said it was just wet chicken, so once again, a new recipe failed at pleasing him. I put the rest of it on a salad with cashews and mustard dressing, and ate it up.
Onward -- I am determined to find a new recipe he'll like. Either that, or I'll start cooking new ones for me and feeding him bologna! 🙂 Just kidding.
I feel for you. I hardly ever find a recipe that the three of us like or can eat,
My "new" dish this week was a Greek chicken salad bowl - I have put dinner salads into regular rotation here. I seasoned up some raw chicken tenders with what I imagined was Greek seasoning - s,p, cumin, garlic, can't remember what else. Let it marinate a bit. Then cooked them in a non stick skillet and sliced them to serve over romaine, grape tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, and feta crumbles. Greek dressing on the side. It was a hit!
We've never used anything but fresh prosciutto for any recipe and although we have made wrapped asparagus for years, have never sauteed or cooked it. Perhaps because of our heritage (Italian American), we've only ever used fresh prosciutto to wrap asparagus and only sparingly ever sauted it.
Good prosciutto (which is expensive and should never be frozen or purchased frozen) is expensive BUT it's a great special treat.
If the prosciutto is tough, it's either poor quality and/or it has not been properly sliced. We live in NYC and get ours from Zabar's. OMG. Good quality prosciutto is like BUTTAH. Really and if it's not...
Plus, although expensive, it goes a long way as it's not something you scarf down like cheap deli cold cuts (if one eats those).
Quality and freshness is everything. We only ever have Prosciutto di Parma (authentic). Given that we indulge maybe twice a year, it's really good value for a premium and tasty food.
Very glad to know a little more- thanks! I don't think I will bother with discount store prosciutto. Anyway, I like plain asparagus just fine either sautéed, steamed, or roasted.
I couldn't agree more with all of Irena's points.
Don't bother with the cheap, pre-packaged prosciutto cuts - they're not much better than a good Black Forest ham but rather more expensive.
Get good prosciutto, get it sliced thinly, eat it with mindfulness and attention.
Sidenote: I once bought the remnants of a leg of proscuitto. The store had the leg out and would slice meat from it in front of the customers. I noticed there was little meat left and what there was, was getting crusty around the edges. I negotiated to buy the entire leg for about a third of the price of the meat. Not only did I get a lot of proscuitto (although I couldn't slice it properly thin), I got a lot of fat and made stock (natch) from the bone. I made the most amazing risotto from those scraps!
That's good to know about prosciutto Irena, thanks. Now, if I can find the good stuff! There are real down sides to living in the sticks.
Forgot to say: We only saute prosciutto for maybe one recipe.
Also it is possible to get really bad prosciutto from even good, upscale food stores.
I was giving a friend a sample, from a store we didn't shop previously, and it was truly horrible. I couldn't even eat it.
So, the quality can vary and it makes all the difference in the world. Some you could eat as much as you could afford. Others, no way.
I've never tried Prosciutto on asparagus - my Italian grandmother always just coated it with olive oil, and sprinkled it with garlic powder & shredded parmesan under the broiler - and that's how I always make it. They look a little bit dry to me... I wonder if more olive oil would help to crisp it up a bit. Or you could try bacon instead of prosciutto... not quite as traditional, but much cheaper and probably crispier!
We like our asparagus wrapped in bacon. I drizzle it with grape seed oil and sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on it. Husband sometimes likes lemon salt on it..
Love asparagus wrapped prosciutto! But yes, I'd suspect that using everything fresh, not frozen, could be a big factor. Also wondering if broiling asparagus a bit ahead of time would help draw out some of the water.
This is a dish I enjoy, and I don't ever remember the proscuitto being crisp. Even in Italy the meat is served softer.
I'm not a fan of prosciutto (I don't eat pork) but I LOVE asparagus. I would imagine that the fact that the prosciutto was frozen would have been a factor in it not turning out as you would've hoped. I honestly just love pan frying asparagus in some coconut oil with a little lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper, then chopping it and stirring it through some garlic quinoa with crumbled feta. Delicious!