Remember asparagus rolls? Squares of white bread rolled around a soggy spear where once the closest we got to experiencing the delights of this odd-looking member of the lily family. Not any more. Now, bundles of fresh asparagus flood the markets around this time each year, and are snapped up by enthusiasts.
We love a plate of spears, peeled and snapped, boiled for four minutes or so and topped with shaved Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a soft-poached egg. The runny yolk blends with the oil to form a delicious sauce, and the Parmesan softens in this river of gold.
This week, we're wrapping the base of our spears with ham. We used an Italian type called coppa, but prosciutto or even thin slices of 'standard' ham would do the trick.
Wine Match
Some old wine and food matching guide books tell us that no wine matches asparagus, but they were written before Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc burst onto the world scene. The pungent, sweaty aromas and upfront, lively flavours of this unique wine style are tailor-made for this distinctively flavoured vegetable. 'Savvie' is best in its vibrant youth, so choose one of the dozens of 2009 examples currently crowding the shelves. Tohu Sauvignon Blanc 2009 has all the savoury, faintly sweaty aromas and passionfruit/lemon rind flavours that we need. It's bone dry, but ripe fruit gives it plenty of richness to match the fresh-faced acids that make it a good foil for the ham's saltiness. Look for it at around $18.00.
GRILLED ASPARAGUS
Serves 4 as entree
20 firm asparagus spears
10 slices coppa ham, or similar
2cm chunk Parmesan cheese, preferably Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
Peel the asparagus spears downwards from a point 2cm below the start of the flower head, snapping off the tough base of each stem as you go. Trim to get spears of an even length.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the asparagus and boil for 1-2 minutes, depending on thickness. Drain and place into a bowl of very cold water to stop it cooking. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the base of an oven-proof pan with vegetable oil. Trim the ham to give you enough 2cm pieces to wrap around the base of each spear. Roll tightly and tuck the ends under, then line up across the pan. Grate half the Parmesan cheese over the bare asparagus and shave the rest, scattering it over the ham. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and season. Place under a pre-heated grill until the cheese turns golden-brown. Transfer to warmed plates, drizzle with the remaining extra-virgin olive oil to serve and glass of Tohu 2009 Sauvignon Blanc!
Vic Williams