Asparagus Omelette oven cooked

Fluffy and airy with it's delicious crust, this omelette can be served for a Sunday brunch or as a light dinner. The asparagus tips remain naturally crunchy, if you like them softer, you may cook them a bit with the rest of the asparagus.  
 


INGREDIENTS: 
Servings: 2

300g asparagus
4 eggs
1/2 glass milk
100g Parmigiano cheese
salt
pepper
EVO oil

1. Wash and peel asparagus.
2. Keep the tips and cut the rest into thin wheels.

3. In a big bowl mix together eggs, milk, grated Parmigiano, some salt and pepper.



4. Cook the asparagus wheels with some oil, salt and pepper till they are slightly browned. 

5. Oil a cake pan and transfer the asparagus into it.
6. Pour the egg mix over the asparagus.

 
 7. Decorate the omelette with the asparagus tips any style you like.      

8. Cook the omelette in a preheated oven at 220C for 15 minutes.

ENJOY !!!

Fish Rolls with Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto

You may use different fish fillet for this recipe, as long as it's white fish and it's quite big: at least 15 cm long as you need to roll the fillet over the asparagus tips.
To fix the roll I used large Prosciutto crudo slices, but it is also possible to use Speck (smoked cold-cured ham) or Pancetta (cold-cures bacon) or even some fat ham. Make a try and tell me about the result.
As for the asparagus, it is better to use the thick ones but it's not prohibited to improvise and use the wild asparagus that is much thinner, the weight doesn't just the number will be different: use 5-6 asparagus spears to fill in your fish rolls.



INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 4

800g fish fillet (Perch, Cod, Pangasius...)
500g fresh green asparagus
large prosciutto crudo slices (same number as fish fillets)
2 garlic cloves
salt
chilli
EVO oil 


Note: Fish fillets I had were 200g each, so I served them one per portion, if the fish fillet you have is too big cut it to have more long slices, about 200g each.

1. Wash fish fillets and dab them with paper towels.

2. Peel two thirds of the asparagus spear and cut the upper part. 
Note: Asparagus points should be slightly longer than the width of the fish fillets.   

3. Salt the fish fillets and put some asparagus points over the fish, the very points outside.

4. Roll the fish fillets and slightly salt the outer side. 

5. Put the roll over a Prosciutto slice: the end of the fillet in the middle of the slice, wrap the rolls in Prosciutto slices.

6. Fix the ends of the Prosciutto slices with the toothpicks.

7. Heat 3-4tbs of EVO oil in a frying pan and add garlic cloves cleaned and cut into halves. Slightly fry the garlic.
8. Put the rolls in the pan and sprinkle with some chilli. Cover with a lid and cook at middle heat for 5-7 minutes each side, depending on the size of the rolls.
9. Remove the lid and brown the rolls a bit.

10. While the rolls are cooking, boil the peeled parts of asparagus in very little water for about 8-10 minutes till asparagus is soft.
11. Mash asparagus with some salt and EVO oil to produce a smooth and soft pure.
Note: You may add some of the asparagus water to delute the asparagus puree.  

12. Serve some asparagus puree as a sauce base for the rolls: pour couple of tablespoons of puree on a plate and rotate the spoon to make a nice circle of the sauce.

    

    ENJOY!!!

Japanese Asparagus Salad

It's already almost two years passed from my visit to Japan but I still remember the taste of this delicious asparagus salad.... It's spring time now and the local asparagus are just starting to appear in the groceries but I cannot wait to try this salad once again!

 
INGREDIENTS: 
Servings: 2-3

500g asparagus
1.5 tbs light soy sauce
1.5 tbs mirin
1/2 tbs rice vinegar  
2 tbs sesame oil
1tbs sesame seeds 

1. Peel the asparagus: using the vegetable peeler, peel the lower half of the spears, the hard part till the part that starts being flexible if you bend the asparagus.
2. Cut the upper one third of the asparagus spears.

3. Cut the lower part into halves and boil for 5 minutes in hot water without salt.
4. Add the upper parts of the spears and boil for 3-4 minutes more.
Note: This is done in order not to overcook the points.   

5. Drain the asparagus very carefully.
6. In a small bowl mix Mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar and 1tbs sesame oil.

7. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan with no oil till they are coloured a bit.

8. Season boiled asparagus with the sauce and let the asparagus cool down.




9.  Serve the salad with some more sesame oil and sesame seeds on top.

Itadakimasu !!!   

  

Asparagus Risotto

Delicate and creamy Asparagus Risotto has a nice light green colour that recalls your senses to the fresh and soft meadows, spring breeze and sunshine. 
Asparagus is rich in Vitamins A, B and C and has a slight diuretic effect. This is what we need to prepare for summer and loose some weight eating delicious but light dishes.  


INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 2

250g asparagus
160g rice 
1/2 small onion
50ml of white wine
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
Parmigiano cheese
50g butter / EVO oil  

1. Peel the asparagus: using the vegetable peeler, peel the lower half of the spears, the hard part till the part that starts being flexible if you bend the asparagus.
2. Cut the upper 1/3 of the asparagus.

3. Cover the lower part of the asparagus with water just enough to cover it. Keet the asparagus tips aside.
4. Cook the asparagus for about 7-8 minutes, then add the asparagus tips and cook for 3-5 minutes more.
5. Drain the asparagus and keep the water.
6. Cut the peeled carrot and celery stalk into small parts and boil with the asparagus water for 10  
 minutes. This is how we prepare the vegetable broth that we'll use for risotto.

7. Chop the onion finely and simmer it with some butter till the onion gets transparent at a low heat.
Note: You may use the EVO oil if you are allergic or intollerant to butter... 
8. Add unwashed rise to the onion and stir well till rice gets transparent as well as the onion.
Note: Never wash rice for Italian Risotto!!!
    
9. Splash some white wine to the rice and keep cooking at a low heat till the wine looses it's particular smell.
10. Simmer your risotto adding half a glass of the veg. broth when it gets too dry and keep stirring. Cook for about 18 minutes (depends on a type of rice you use)

11. Puree the lower parts of asparagus with a blender.


 

12. Cut the upper parts of asparagus spears in halves and keep the very tips for decoration, cut the rest into thin disks. 

13. Add the asparagus puree and chopped asparagus to risotto and salt it with a couple of pinches of salt, try if it's enough. 
14. Stir well and cook for 3 more minutes.

15. Switch off the heat and add handful of grated Parmigiano cheese.


16. Decorate risotto with the asparagus tips and serve with some extra grated Parmigiano to your liking.

   ENJOY !!! Buon Appetito!!!