Asparagus Bundles

The asparagus bundles are an elegant and tasty spring dish. Here’s how you can prepare them:

Ingredients

• Asparagus, about 500 g
• Puff pastry, 1 roll
• Parma ham, 100 g (or cooked ham if you prefer a milder version)
• Soft cheese of your choice (goat cheese, stracchino, or ricotta are good options), 100-150 g
• Egg, 1 for brushing
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning the asparagus: remove the toughest part of the stem and, if necessary, peel them with a vegetable peeler from below the tip.
2. Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for about 3-5 minutes; they should stay crunchy. Then, drain them and quickly pass them in ice water to stop the cooking and maintain a bright green color.
3. Roll out the puff pastry and, if necessary, cut it into rectangles of adequate size to wrap the asparagus.
4. Place a bit of soft cheese on each rectangle of pastry, then arrange the asparagus (you can put from 3 to 5 asparagus stems per bundle, depending on their size) and wrap them with a slice of ham.
5. Place the roll of asparagus and ham in the center of the puff pastry rectangle, then fold the edges of the pastry over the filling, sealing the edges well to create the bundle.
6. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush the bundles with the beaten egg to give them a nice golden color during baking.
7. Bake at 200 °C in a preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the bundles are golden and the pastry is well cooked.
8. Remove from the oven and let them cool before serving.

Interesting Facts

The asparagus bundles are excellent as an appetizer or as a main course if accompanied by a fresh spring salad. This dish combines the sweetness of the asparagus with the savory flavor of ham, all enclosed in a crispy puff pastry.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, bon appétit!