Cranberry Beans And Asparagus With Parma Ham Crisps Recipes

CRANBERRY BEAN PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, rosemary and pancetta, if using, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes; season with salt. Add the beans, 3 quarts water, the bay leaves and parmesan rind. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• Uncover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 more minutes. (The soup should be thick and creamy; thin with water, if necessary.)
• Remove the bay leaves, parmesan rind and pancetta, if used. Add the grated parmesan, parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with more olive oil and parmesan.

BACON AND CRANBERRY BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• Cook and stir olive oil and bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until bacon is fully cooked and begins to crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off excess grease, leaving a teaspoon in the pan.
• Stir shallots and salt into the cooked bacon; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beans, chicken broth, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the beans begin to swell, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Uncover and continue cooking bean and bacon mixture until the liquid reduces and beans are tender, 5 to 10 more minutes. Add rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Adjust levels of salt and black pepper. Remove from heat, stir in extra-virgin olive oil, hot chile paste, and fresh herbs.

ASPARAGUS SPEARS BAKED IN PARMA HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 C / Gas 6. Wash and trim the bottom ends from the asparagus. Boil the Asparagus for 3-4 minutes then drain them and let them cool down.
• Cut each slice of Parma ham in half.
• Wrap each asparagus spear with a half slice of ham.
• Brush a baking tray with olive oil and arrange the wrapped spears in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes for thin asparagus, or slightly longer for thick stalks

CRISPY PARMA HAM AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the eggs in a pan of boiling water for exactly 8 minutes. Sit a steamer or colander over the eggs, put in the asparagus, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender - alternatively, cook in a pan of water for 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the eggs and asparagus and cool under cold water.
• Melt the butter in a small pan than, with a wire whisk, beat in some lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat a ridged griddle pan. Cook the slices of parma ham, two at a time in the hot pan for 30 seconds on each side. Set aside on kitchen paper. Cook the asparagus in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes to give light bar marks.
• Shell and halve the eggs and arrange on four plates with the asparagus, topped with the crispy parma ham. Drizzle over the lemon butter dressing. Scatter over some shaved parmesan and top with a good grind of black pepper. A glass or two of chilled white wine is the perfect accompaniment to this dish.

PARMA HAM AND CRANBERRY STUFFING MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Put the cranberries and the sugar in a small saucepan. Add in the water and stir, then heat until bubbling gently and stir again until the sugar has dissolved.
• Turn off the heat and leave to go cold. The berries should have softened and deflated slightly.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add in shallots and garlic and fry gently until the shallots have softened but not coloured. Remove from heat.
• Mix in the sage and thyme then season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Mix in the sausage meat, minced bacon, breadcrumbs, walnuts and lemon zest. Use your fingers and make sure everything is well mixed together.
• Drain away the syrup from the cranberries, then stir the berries into the stuffing mix.
• Shape the stuffing into 8 balls, each the size of a large golf ball.
• Wrap each one in two slices of prosciutto. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to firm up, ideally overnight.
• Once the turkey has finished roasting, preheat the oven to 400°F Remove the plastic wrap from the stuffing balls and place them across a shallow roasting tin, leaving lots of space between them.
• Dab them all over with a little oil and roast for 30 minutes or so until crisped and cooked through.

ASPARAGUS HAM ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry., Place an asparagus spear, red pepper strip and cheese strip on each piece of ham. Roll up tightly; tie with a chive. Refrigerate until serving. ,

PEA, ASPARAGUS & HAM HOCK TART

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Rub the flour, butter, mustard powder (if using), parmesan and 1 tsp fine salt together in a large bowl using your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand. Or, do this by pulsing the ingredients together in a food processor. Gradually add 4-6 tbsp cold water, pressing the mixture together until you have a soft dough. Briefly knead the dough until smooth.
• Roll the pastry out between two sheets of baking parchment until 3mm thick and large enough to line a 20 x 7cm loose-bottomed springform cake tin. Remove the top layer of parchment and invert the pastry into the tin, or drape it over the rolling pin and unravel it into the tin. Push the pastry into the base and up the side - there should be about 1½cm excess pastry that comes above the rim. Use your thumbs and index finger to crimp the excess around the edge. Chill for at least 1 hr 30 mins or overnight.
• Meanwhile, cook the peas and asparagus in a pan of boiling water for 3 mins, or just 2 mins for defrosted frozen peas. Immediately plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water to halt the cooking process, and leave to cool in the bowl for 2 mins. Drain and set aside until needed.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork. Scrunch up a piece of baking parchment, then use it to line the case, leaving some overhanging. Fill the case all the way to the top with baking beans or uncooked dry beans or rice. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the beans and parchment and bake for 10-15 mins more until golden. Don't worry if it shrinks from the edge slightly. Leave to cool while you make the filling.
• Whisk together the eggs, double cream and crème fraîche, then mix in the herbs, spring onions, lemon zest and juice, parmesan and cooked peas. Season with sea salt and a good crack of black pepper, then pour the filling into the baked case. Sprinkle the shredded ham hock over, pressing it into the filling slightly, then arrange the asparagus spears on top.
• Turn the oven down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and bake the quiche for 45-55 mins until golden on top with a slight wobble in the middle. Leave to cool for 20 mins in the tin, then serve warm or leave to cool completely and chill until needed. Will keep chilled for three days.
• When ready to serve, toss the pea shoots and mangetout with the olive oil, then pile in the middle of the quiche. Cut into wedges to serve.

CHICKEN WITH CRANBERRY BEANS

Steps:

• Put beans in a three-quart sauce pan, cover to one inch above the beans with cold water and bring to boil. Turn off heat, cover pot, let the beans stand in hot water for an hour. Drain off water, cover beans with fresh water and bring to boil. Turn down heat and simmer beans, partly covered until they are tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. Drain beans, preserving liquid.
• Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until it is browned but not crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, put bacon on paper towels to drain, leaving fat in skillet.
• Pat chicken pieces dry, season with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat bacon fat over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add chicken pieces and cook them, in batches if necessary, turning them once until they are golden brown and crisp -- about 15 minutes. Remove chicken to Dutch oven and pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat from bacon. Return cooked bacon to pan. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until they are wilted, about five minutes.
• Increase heat to high, add wine, bring to boil, scraping up the brown bits from bottom of pan. Pour mixture over chicken, cover pot, cook over medium-high heat for three minutes. Add beans, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste and two cups of reserved bean cooking liquid. Stir well, bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, until chicken is done. Beans may absorb some of the liquid; add more bean juice so there is plenty of sauce.
• Taste and adjust seasoning. Put chicken, beans and sauce into serving dish and sprinkle with diced tomato and parsley.

CRANBERRY BEANS

Steps:

• Wash leek greens well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Tuck bay leaves and herb sprigs into leek greens and tie tightly in a bundle with string to make a bouquet garni.
• Bring water, bouquet garni, onion, and chile to a boil in a 5-quart heavy pot and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes. Add beans and simmer gently, stirring occasionally and adding 1 tablespoon kosher salt toward end of cooking, until tender, about 25 minutes for fresh beans or 50 minutes to 1 1/4 hours for soaked dried. Discard bouquet garni, and discard onion and chile if desired.
• Just before serving, transfer beans with a slotted spoon to a dish and season with kosher salt. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with mint and thyme.

CRANBERRY BEANS AND ASPARAGUS WITH PARMA HAM CRISPS

Steps:

• .Preheat oven to 450*. Place ham slices on a baking sheet and cook in the oven until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain immediately on kitchen towels. While the ham is still warm, crumble ito a bowl. Set aside.
• Cut the tips from the asparagus and reserve the stalks for another use, such as soup. Boil a quart of salted water in a heavy pot. Drop in the asparagus tips and allow the water to return to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, drain, then shick the asparagus in iced water. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the bay leaf, salt, red pepper flakes, beans and stock and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the beans are tender, approximately 45 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and drain. While the beans are still warm, add the asparagus and toss with vinaigrette.
• Divide the dressed cranberry beans and asparagus among 4 plates and top each portion with crumbled ham crisps. Serve immediately while salad is still warm or allow to marinate in the refridgerator. (Can be divided into six portions as an apetizer.).