Nothing says springtime quite like asparagus. Tall stalks of green, wrapped in playful bunches, and marked down on sale just enough at the local market that you can't resist buying a couple of pounds and taking them home.
Asparagus can be lovely roasted, lightly steamed or blanched, even raw. It's delightful in pastas, on a thin-crust pizza, in a savory tart, or showcased in a bright springtime soup. Asparagus is also perfect paired with eggs for an elegant breakfast or brunch this Easter weekend.
This two-ingredient method of preparing asparagus is fantastically simple and amazingly tasty. It makes a beautiful appetizer. All you need are fresh asparagus spears, prosciutto and a hot pan swirled with a little olive oil. Pick these salty, crispy babies up and eat them with your fingers. I bet you can't eat just one; I ate about 101. OK, probably not quite that many, but you get the idea.
These would also be lovely piled about four or five spears to a plate and served with a perfectly runny poached egg on top.
Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus
1 pound fresh asparagus, woody ends snapped off
12 slices prosciutto, cut in half length-wise
Beginning at the top of each asparagus spear (just under the tip), wrap with prosciutto on a downward spiral.
Place a skillet over medium-high heat and swirl the pan with a little extra-virgin olive oil.
Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, place the wrapped asparagus spears in the hot pan and cook until prosciutto is crisp and browned and asparagus is tender-crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove asparagus to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain while you cook the remaining spears. Taste and season with salt if needed (prosciutto is often quite salty, so no salt may be needed here). Serve promptly while hot.
Maya Evoy lives in Nikiski and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com. Have a food question or recipe request? Email maya@alaskafromscratch.com and your inquiry may appear in a future column.