The region whose cuisine I am researching this week is Trentino-Alto Adige. Nestled in the northeast corner of Italy, the gastronomy of Trentino is very interesting. Much of the traditional food of this region resembles traditional German or Austrian food than traditional Italian food. Some of these foods include bread dumplings, sauerkraut, and goulash. Trentino is also well known for a product called speck, which is a kind of prosciutto.
Speck makes its way into many of the region's dishes, particularly in antipasto dishes. The antipasto dish that I made last night is traditionally Speck Wrapped Asparagus. However, my local grocery store doesn't sell speck, so I used prosciutto instead. This is a super quick and simple antipasto that you can put together with minimum prep work. This will even please people who don't like asparagus (like my husband). But then again, I guess you can wrap prosciutto and mozzarella around anything and it will work for most of us meat-eaters.
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Adapted from Rustico Cooking
-Makes 4 bundles-
Ingredients:
12 asparagus spears
1 teaspoon salt
4 slices of prosciutto
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
Process:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Trim the white ends off of the asparagus.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Drain the pot and put the asparagus in a bowl of ice water. Leave for a minute and then drain again.
- Lay a piece of prosciutto on a counter or cutting board. Place 3 asparagus spears on the prosciutto in a triangle shape. Roll the asparagus in the prosciutto. Repeat with the rest of the asparagus to get 4 bundles.
- Place each bundle on a cookie sheet. Top each bundle with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Bake for 5-10 minutes, just until the mozzarella is melted.
This works fantastically as an antipasto dish or as a side dish for a meal. I have to push for the fresh mozzarella on this dish rather than pre-shredded. The fresh mozzarella is silky and delicious, and I don't think shredded would do the trick in this dish.
Ryan's rating of Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus - 4. Not bad for someone who doesn't like asparagus!
Wow. I think I might be drooling.
Posted by: Jeanne | 09/10/2009 at 10:00 AM
Those pictures look real good!
Posted by: Ryan | 09/11/2009 at 12:11 AM
Oh, yeah. This is really going to be a winner in our house. Thanks, Suz.
Posted by: Momma C | 09/11/2009 at 11:02 AM
Jeanne drooling over a dish with meat in it? WOW.
Posted by: Momma C | 09/11/2009 at 11:03 AM
What?! It looks so good, especially with the cheese. I'll find some substitute and continue drooling. So there. Ha.
Posted by: Jeanne | 09/14/2009 at 12:48 PM
Yes, Ryan, your pictures are fabulous... (Caught ya)
Posted by: Jeanne | 09/14/2009 at 01:05 PM