Like many vegetables, asparagus
is delicious roasted. Toss trimmed
asparagus in olive oil, sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Place on baking tray
in 425-degree oven and roast until
browned and tender, about 10-15
minutes. I like to drizzle with a good
reduced balsamic, or fresh squeezed
lemon and shaved parmesan.
We Californians are used to grilling
year-round, and asparagus is delicious
when grilled. Parboil about one minute,
drain, toss in olive oil and season with
salt and pepper. Grill until tender, turn-
ing every few minutes. Serve with olive
oil, fresh chopped herbs, or your favor-
ite aioli. No matter how you prepare it,
don’t overcook asparagus. It becomes
stringy and sad!
Asparagus and
Goat Cheese Tart
1 pie crust, can be store bought
2 bunches asparagus (about 1¼ pounds
total), trimmed, peeled if thick
12 scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp butter
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tsp minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp minced fresh chives
2 tsp minced fresh tarragon
3 large eggs
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured
surface to a 12” round. Transfer to tart
pan and press onto bottom and up
sides. Bake crust until golden brown.
Let cool in pan on a wire rack.
Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking
sheet with foil. Cut off top 1½” of aspar-
agus tips; reserve. Slice stalks into ¼”
rounds. Cut white bulbs from scallions.
Slice pale-green parts into ¼” pieces.
Toss asparagus tips and spring onion
bulbs in a small bowl with 2 Tbsp oil;
season with salt and pepper. Place in a
single layer on baking sheet; roast, turn-
ing once, until onions begin to brown,
and asparagus is bright green and ten-
der, 12–15 minutes. Transfer to a small
bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp
oil and butter in a skillet over medium
heat. Add sliced asparagus, pale-green
parts of spring onions and garlic; sea-
son with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring
often, until onions are soft, and aspara-
gus is bright green and tender, 6–8
minutes. Let cool slightly in pan. Spread
evenly over bottom of tart crust.
Whisk goat cheese and next 5 ingre-
dients in a medium bowl. Season with
salt and pepper. Whisk in eggs. Pour
over vegetables and sprinkle with par-
mesan and roasted asparagus tips and
onions. Bake tart until edges of crust are
golden brown and filling is set, 20–22
minutes. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes
or up to 4 hours. Remove sides of pan.
Serve tart warm or at room temperature.
4 slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
4 slices Havarti cheese, cut in half
Balsamic syrup (Cook balsamic vinegar
over low heat until thick and syrupy).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Parboil
asparagus in boiling salted water for 1
to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels
and cool slightly.
For each bundle, lay strip of pro-
sciutto lengthwise. Place piece of cheese
on top of prosciutto. Lay several stalks
of asparagus across bottom of prosciutto
and roll up tightly.
Place all bundles on lightly oiled
baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 min-
utes until asparagus is tender, cheese
is melted, and prosciutto is slightly
crispy. Remove to serving platter, and if
desired, drizzle with Balsamic syrup.
Chilled Asparagus
with Saffron Aioli
This sauce beautifully complements
asparagus, whether you choose to grill,
roast or blanch the asparagus.
For Aioli:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 pinch saffron
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
Asparagus
2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
3 tsp olive oil
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
Combine vinegar, honey and saffron
in a small saucepan over medium high
heat. Bring to a boil and cook for one
minute. Remove from heat and cool
completely.
Mix mayonnaise and garlic. Add
cooled vinegar mixture. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Cover and
refrigerate.
Asparagus, Prosciutto
and Havarti Bundles
For asparagus:
This is great served as a side dish or
lunch entrée. I like Havarti in this recipe
but other cheeses like provolone or
gruyere work well too. 32 thin or 16
thick asparagus stalks, trimmed to
equal lengths
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
april/may 2019
Roast, grill or
blanch asparagus
until tender. Chill.
Toss with olive oil.
Transfer to platter, drizzle
with aioli and sprinkle with
red bell pepper.
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