Crispy prosciutto-wrapped asparagus

Ca_rnivore

I was bored after dinner tonight, so I started flipping through "Let the Flames Begin" by Schlesinger and Willoughby. I happened across a recipe that sounded very tempting and I knew I had the ingredients on hand. I fired up the grill for the second time tonight and I'm very glad I did![p]Let me tell you, I think I had an out of body experience after my first bite of this Crispy Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus! It was so simple and the flavor was absolutely amazing. I think everyone should go to the market ASAP, get some prosciutto and asparagus and make this stuff.[p]I can post the original recipe, if anyone wants it, but for now I'll
tell you how I did it on the BGE.[p]1) Trim the dry, fiberous end from asparagus (make sure to use tender, young asparagus that's slightly thicker than a pencil).[p]2) Blanch the asparagus in boiling water until it turns bright green (about 2 minutes). Immediately plunge the asparagus in ice water to stop the cooking. Remove asparagus and pat dry.[p]3) Lay out a piece of prosciutto and lay 4-5 stalks of asparagus on top of it. Wrap the prosciutto around asparagus and secure it with a toothpick. You should have a flat raft of asparagus surrounded by meat with both ends of the asparagus sticking out.[p]4) Spray "rafts" with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.[p]5) Grill at 400 degrees until prosciutto is crisp. Flip a few times to cook both sides.[p]Try this, you will NOT be disappointed. I'm going to get more ingredients tomorrow, so I can do it again.[p]Great Grillin' to You,
--Kevin

Chuck

Ca_rnivore,[p]Thanks for sharing the idea. I think I'll give that a try tonight with some fresh Jersey asparagus and some South Philly prosciutto. [p]Chuck <><

Trout Bum

Ca_rnivore,
How thick was the prosciutto sliced and did you cut it to length or just keep wrapping it around the asparagus until it was used up?
Thanks,
B D

WooDoggies

Ca_rnivore,[p]Yowza, that sounds good!
Simple, elegant and to the point.
I think risotto, balsamic drizzled tomatoes, a nice wine to accompany and I have dinner for tonight.
Thanks for that.[p]WD

The Naked Whiz

Ca_rnivore,[p]I'm having trouble visualizing how you wrap and secure the asparagus. You said you have 4-5 spears lying flat, side by side, vs. in a bundle, right? So, do you put the toothpick through all 5 spears to keep them in a flat package? Got any photos?[p]TNW

JodyMo

Ca_rnivore,
Sounds good.
You mentioned you got this from Schlesinger's book. Here is an article a friend sent me today about him. I know this is off topic, but I was a little shocked to hear this "grilling pro" advocate using lighter fluid. He also said 'never close the lid when cooking over open flame'.
Check out the link if you want to read the story...
[ul][li]News Story[/ul]

The Naked Whiz

JodyMo,[p]Yeah, a real wierd article. The guy says every once in while he ruins dinner. I've never ruined dinner in a year of cooking on the egg. Lighter fluid? Food bathed in acrid smoke? I think he's been sniffing the lighter fluid...[p]TNW

Ca_rnivore

The Naked Whiz,[p]Yeah, I laid the spears flat , wrapped the prosciutto around them, then ran a toothpick through them to keep the whole thing flat and secure. The recipe called for wrapping each spear individually, but I was low on prosciutto, so I improvised.[p]I do have pictures, but I've been lazy and don't have even a rudimentary website for posting them. I can send you what I have, so you can see the results for yourself.[p]--Kevin

Ca_rnivore

Big Daddy,[p]The prosciutto that I had was about 2inch by 4inch rectangles. It was cut really thin. It was thin enough that it tore pretty easily, and the "fatty" part of the meat was opaque, you could see shapes throughit but no definition. My best guess is that they were as thick as 2 or 3 sheets of paper. I was able to wrap one slice about 1.5 times around 4-5 spears.[p]Hope this helps,
Kevin

Ca_rnivore

JodyMo,[p]The first paragraph of that article is almost word for word what is written in the book. The rest of the article reiterates the concepts that he advocates in his book.[p]Schlesinger says that if briquettes are left until they're grey with ash, that all the lighter fluid and petroleum products in the briquettes is burned of, leaving a clean heat source. I don't know, but I think I can taste and smell the nasties in briquettes, even if I have a good layer of ash. You know, that kinda weird, off taste? That's one of the reason's I chose the BGE and natural lump charcoal.[p]As far as cooking with the lid off, that's probably a good idea for the weber type of grill that his target audience will probably be using. Also, it's probably easier for a beginner to watch what's going on in the grill, so they can turn out a better product. All us eggers know that our grills work better and retain moisture with the lid closed. A little experience and a good tool goes along way towards eggsellent results without the visual cues.[p]Anyway, thanks for the article. I'm rambling, so I must still be euphoric from the asparagus last night! It really is a good recipe despite the authors preference for lighter fluid.[p]--Kevin

Wise One

Ca_rnivore, that looks delicious. I've cooked asparagus and that was good but these look even better. I wonder what would happen if you included a few strips of red bell pepper and a wee bit of cheese. Ummm, good. I can taste it already.[p]