Tag Archives: prosciutto

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

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I’m so thankful I’m Italian.

For many reasons really.

But mostly for the food

And for the ease of preparation of the food

And for how easy entertaining is if you just whip up a bunch of Italian appetizers and antipasto.

One of my favorites for the summer?

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

Spring and summer is when you can find the really thin, really tender pencil asparagus. That’s my favorite.

All you need is asparagus, prosciutto and some olive oil.

We had about ten people over for drinks and I made an assortment of small plates.

I used a pound of asparagus and a half pound of prosciutto.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Nobody likes cleanup when you’re having a cocktail party.

Wash the asparagus and cut off the bottom fibrous part. I peeled some of the thicker pieces too.

No snap each asparagus spear in half and place the two half together.

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Take a piece of prosciutto and wrap it around each asparagus bundle.

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Set up an assembly line and keep going until all the asparagus is wrapped.

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Drizzle with olive oil and black pepper. The prosciutto I got was really salty so I didn’t add salty. Taste test a piece and see if you think yours needs salt though as all prosciutto varies.

Bake for about twenty minutes, plate ’em up and watch ’em go!

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Prosciutto, Pea, Ricotta Pasta Salad

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So the boyfriend is not coming home for dinner and we leave for vacation tomorrow.

That means two things.

1. I can make something he doesn’t like.

2. I don’t want to buy any groceries since we’re going away for a week.

This means a rummage in the fridge. I cam up with some ricotta cheese and some prosciutto left over from sub night.

The cabinets are always stocked with pasta.

And I make it a point to always have some kind of frozen vegetable in the freezer.

In this case, it’s peas. He hates peas, so that covers point 1.

I don’t know how anyone can eat peas. They’re so fresh and bright and springy. They burst open in your mouth and release their yummy flavor with every bite.

Oh well. I like them, so I’m making them.

This is a super simple dish that you can easily make ahead and toss in the fridge. It’s a good one to make in a huge batch for a party or to leave in the fridge to be portioned out for lunches during the week.

Like I said, I had everything on hand. So you can adjust this to what you have. Frozen broccoli would be really good, too. And if you want to make it vegetarian, you can easily leave off the prosciutto. I like the saltiness it adds, so maybe add a sprinkle of parmesan if you eliminate the prosciutto to give it back that salty bite.

This is an almost no cooking dinner.

Defrost the peas according to the instructions on the package.

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Look at those bright green emeralds! I don’t understand how anyone could not want to eat them up.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil.

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I’m using these little mini farfalline, or bowtie pasta. Farfallina means little butterfly in Italian. (Farfalla is butterfly. the ina makes the word mean little). The pasta does kind of look like little butterflies.

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Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box. You can use any shape you like. I prefer something with some shape to it. I don’t like angel hair or spaghetti for this. I like that the farfalline is about the same size as the peas. It makes it easy to eat.

As the pasta cook, rip up some prosciutto and drop it in a dry skillet. Cook over medium until it crisps up.

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When the pasta’s done, drain it and toss it in a bowl with the peas.

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Add a scoop of ricotta and stir.

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Top with the crispy prosciutto.

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This is a great bowl to curl up on the couch with. Especially while watching Say Yes to the Dress!

Oh my god. What is she thinking? That dress is atrocious.

Life changing salad dressing

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A few leaves of romaine. A handful of spinach. A couple of tomatoes. Maybe some olives.

This is usually what comes to mind when you hear the words side salad.

You begrudgingly toss together some greens to give yourself a well-rounded meal and to add some veggies into your otherwise veggie-less dinner. You are an adult. You eat salads with your meals.

Banish those thoughts from your mind.

I’m about to change the way you think about salads.

This dressing.

It’s going to change your life.

This will change a bowl of lettuce into a savory, delicious side dish you will want to accompany any meal. If you are looking for a light dinner or a hearty lunch, this also works as a meal.

You’re probably thinking, dressing? How is that going to change my salad life?

And then you’re probably thinking, dressing? Who has time to make that? I can just buy a bottle.

Now, I have some bottled dressings in the fridge. But nothing compares to the freshness and the brightness of the flavors in a homemade dressing.

Plus, sodium, preservatives, dyes, colorings. These things are in your bottled dressing.

Sucks.

So, if you make your own, you can have control (control freak again!) over what goes into your food.

This dressing takes a minute to make, literally.

All you need are

  • Prosciutto
  • olive oil
  • red wine vinegar
  • spicy mustard

Drizzle a little olive oil in a frying pan. Rip up some prosciutto into the pan. You don’t need to be neat, just tear it up. The more rustic and homemade it looks, the better. People will believe you when you said you made it.

Figure about 2 or 3 pieces of prosciutto per person. You can add more if this is going to be your main meal.

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Turn the heat to medium and cook the prosciutto until it is crispy. This only take a minute, so don’t walk away.

When the prosciutto is crispy, lower the heat and drizzle in some red wine vinegar.

Add a tablespoon of spicy mustard and stir. Turn the heat back up, stirring to combine.

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This is one of those recipes that can be tailored entirely to your taste. If you like a more acidic dressing, a splash more vinegar. If you want more spice, a little more mustard. The prosciutto is salty enough so do not add salt. Black pepper is okay if you like, but the mustard I use has enough kick for us.

When the dressing thickens slightly and is combined, pour over your salad.

Here is a bowl of baby spinach, tomatoes, dried cranberries and black olives. A perfectly respectable side salad.

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And here is that same salad with the dressing.

See the difference?

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Life. Changed.

Warm, crispy, salty prosciutto, tangy vinegar and a kick of mustard atop the mild crunchy spinach. A juicy tomato bursts in your mouth. The briny olive and the sweet cranberry. A riot of flavors.

The perfect prelude to the much anticipated (for me anyway) heaping bowl of spaghetti with broccoli pesto.

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