Asparagus Alla Fontina Recipes

FONTINA ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; add asparagus. Cook, covered, until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and pat dry., On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry sheet into a 16x12-in. rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes., Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry to within 1/2-in. of edges. Place asparagus over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over top. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

ASPARAGUS AND FONTINA QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Using a vegetable peeler, slice the asparagus lengthwise into long, thin strips, starting just under the tip of each stalk. Leave the tips whole. (Alternatively, cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.)
• In a pot with a steamer insert or in a covered sauté pan fitted with an expandable steamer basket, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the steamer insert or basket, cover, and steam until tender, about 30 seconds for strips and about 3 minutes for pieces.
• Rinse the asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir in the Fontina, Gruyère, and reserved asparagus.
• Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
• Bake until lightly golden and set in the center when the pan is gently pushed, 40 to 45 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover it with foil to prevent it from burning.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 or 8 slices and serve warm or at room temperature.
• The quiche is best served the day it is made. Tightly wrap leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

ASPARAGUS ALLA FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender. Drain and cut into 1-to-1½-inch lengths. Return the asparagus to the pot. Add the butter and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set over low heat and stir to melt the butter. Remove from the heat.
• Turn the asparagus and the melted butter into a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Arrange in an even layer. Sprinkle with the Gruyère, prosciutto and parsley. Pour the beaten eggs on top, gently shaking the pan to distribute.
• Top with the Parmesan and bake until the eggs are set into a custard and a golden-brown crust forms on top, about 35 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

PANINO DI PROSCIUTTO E FONTINA

Steps:

• Place 1 to 2 slices of fontina atop 1 bread slice. Top with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Then add spinach and prosciutto. Add the remaining slice(s) of fontina. Top with the second bread slice. Brush both sides of the sandwich with the oil.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-low heat. Grill the sandwich until the bread is golden brown and the cheese melts, pressing down with a metal spatula or grill press, about 4 minutes per side.

ITALIAN FLATBREAD (PIADINA) WITH FONTINA AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Combine the flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. With the machine running, slowly add 10 to 12 tablespoons water until the mixture forms a dough around the hook. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form into disk shapes and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into an 8 to 10-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Brush each circle with the extra-virgin olive oil and grill for 4 minutes each side. Remove the piadina from the grill to cool slightly. Combine the ricotta cheese and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread each piadina with 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle the fontina cheese evenly over the ricotta cheese. Arrange 2 prosciutto slices on top of the cheeses. Cut each piadina into 8 wedges and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the chopped basil.

ASPARAGI ALLA PARMIGIANA (ITALIAN ASPARAGUS GRATIN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Butter a shallow gratin or baking dish that is just large enough to hold the asparagus.
• Place a layer of asparagus in the dish, with the tips all facing the same direction. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and some of the cheese Keep adding layers until all asparagus and all cheese is used, finishing with the cheese.
• Dot the top of the dish with the pieces of butter and place the dish on the top rack of the oven.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked through and beginning to brown and the cheese is melted.
• *Variations.
• Instead of the butter use olive oil or half butter and half olive oil.
• Use half Parmesan and half shredded fontina cheese for a creamier gratin.
• Layer a couple of slices of prosciutto in with the asparagus if you like.
• Sprinkle with a little lemon zest for added zing.

FRIED FONTINA AND PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Set a large bowl of cold water by the sink. Bend each stalk of asparagus until it snaps and discard the tough ends. Remove the tough outer skin of the asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler. Slide the spears into the boiling water and cook until the asparagus is tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and plunge into the cold water. Let stand until cooled through. Drain thoroughly and pat the spears dry.
• On a clean and dry work surface, lay out a slice of Fontina cheese with one of the corners facing you. Lay an asparagus spear over the cheese so the corner of the cheese closest to you is about halfway down the stalk. Roll the cheese tightly around the asparagus, covering the entire stalk with Fontina. Lay out a slice of prosciutto as you did the Fontina. Place a sage leaf over one end of the prosciutto and roll the cheese-coated asparagus spears up to enclose them completely. Tuck any overhanging cheese and prosciutto underneath the asparagus to make a neat bundle. Repeat with the remaining asparagus.
• Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Spread the flour and bread crumbs in an even layer on two separate plates.
• Dredge the asparagus bundles in flour to coat all sides. Tap off excess flour. Roll the asparagus in the beaten egg to coat. Remove the asparagus, allowing any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the asparagus to the bread crumbs and roll, pressing lightly, to coat evenly with the crumbs. Remove to a clean baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining asparagus bundles.
• Heat the oven to 200° F or lowest setting. Line a baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels. Pour the vegetable oil and olive oil into a deep skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until the oil registers 350° F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you're frying without a thermometer, the oil is ready when one end of an asparagus bundle gives off a lively but steady sizzle when dipped in the oil.) Once the oil reaches the desired temperature, adjust the heat under the pot to maintain a steady temperature, and continue adjusting the heat as necessary during frying. Carefully slip as many asparagus spears into the oil as will fit without touching. Fry the asparagus, turning as necessary with tongs or a slotted spoon, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Keep them warm in the oven while frying remaining asparagus bundles. Serve hot.

ASPARAGUS (OR BROCCOLI) AND FONTINA CHEESE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter & oil in heavy cooking pot, over med-high heat. Sauté onions and celery until tender (~4 min.). Add garlic and sauté ~30 seconds (don't scorch - gets bitter). Add flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute, to cook out raw flour taste. Add water, broth, and Knoor soup base (or substitute bouillon). Stir until smooth. Bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 2 minutes to set the thickening.
• Add diced potatoes, chopped asparagus (or broccoli), salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to med-LOW and simmer for ~25 minutes.
• Puree about ¾ of the soup in a blender in small batches. (Hot soup expands when blended, so fill blender only about 2/3 way full!). I place batches in an intermediary large Pyrex bowl to hold until returning to pot.
• Return blended soup to pot. Stir in half-and-half, soy, and cheeses. Simmer (do NOT BOIL) 5-10 more minutes - stirring often, then taste for seasonings (probably needs a bit more pepper, doubtful it needs more salt - cheese, soup base, and broth are already somewhat salted).

ASPARAGUS, PROSCIUTTO AND FONTINA TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x14-inch rectangle.
• Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and brush with Dijon mustard. Fold in the edges of the rectangle about 1/4-inch and crimp with a fork to seal.
• Arrange asparagus on the pastry in a single layer. Sprinkle with prosciutto, fontina cheese, and thyme.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastry is golden and asparagus is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Drizzle with balsamic glaze and cut into 16 pieces.