Asparagus Prosciutto Rolls

We did a small "tapas" style dinner with several small courses of mostly finger food, and this was the starter.  The prosciutto and the goat cheese make this a rich dish, so you don't want to eat too many of the these if you have other goodies waiting to come out of the oven.  These can also be served as an elegant sidedish to any meal.

Prosciutto is the Italian word for "ham."  Dry cured and uncooked, imported Prosciutto di Parma is considered the finest, but was unavailable for many years due to food related deaths decades ago.  For years, the only prosciutto available was domestic, which was only a proximate version of the delicate and delicious original.  Lately, however, imported prosciutto is safe and has become more readily available, while some domestic brands have gotten better, too.

Ingredients

18 stalks of medium to thin asparagus
9 thinly sliced strips of prosciutto
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh chives, minced
4 tbsp goat cheese
salt & pepper
non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)

The Recipe

Buy asparagus that is about the thickness of two pencils. Hold the spear by each end and bend gently in half; it will snap approximately where tenderness begins. Toss the woody part away. Bring a skillet with about an inch of salted water to the boil and carefully place the asparagus spears into the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove the spears to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and set the bright green color. Drain, pat each spear dry with a paper towel and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Lay out a strip of prosciutto and spread with the goat cheese.  Roll up two asparagus spears in the strip of prosciutto.

Place asparagus spear packages on a sheet pan coated in non-stick spray, and place in the oven for five minutes.  Remove and flip the spears, then put back in the oven for another five minutes.

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard and garlic in a bowl.  Slowly add the olive oil and whisk well. Finish with the fresh chives. Top the asparagus spears with the vinaigrette and serve hot or at room temperature.  If serving these as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre, put the dressing on the side.