Focaccia With Asparagus Prosciutto And Truffle Oil Recipes

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• If the asparagus are thick, peel them halfway up the stalks. Cut off and discard the bottom third of the asparagus. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, until the stalks are just tender. Meanwhile, place the prosciutto in a single layer on another sheet pan and roast in the same oven for 5 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a medium (10-inch) saute pan over medium heat and wait until the bubbles almost subside. Crack the eggs into the skillet, keeping them separate, if possible. Sprinkle the eggs generously with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny. Don't turn them over!
• Arrange the asparagus on 3 plates. Place 2 slices of prosciutto on top of each pile, drizzle with hollandaise, and place a fried egg on top of the prosciutto. Serve hot.
• Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in the jar of a blender and process on low for 15 seconds. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until it is sizzling hot. Remove the small clear insert in the top of the blender. With the blender on low, slowly add the hot butter to the egg and lemon mixture and blend for 30 seconds, until the sauce is very thick. Use immediately.

CRACKED PEPPER FOCACCIA WITH TRUFFLE OIL

Steps:

• Stir 2 cups lukewarm water and yeast in large bowl to blend. Mix in 3 tablespoons olive oil, truffle oil, cracked pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt. Add 1 cup flour. Using wood spoon, stir vigorously until well incorporated. Add enough of remaining 3 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, to form dough that is soft, sticky and not completely smooth, stirring vigorously until well incorporated. Oil large bowl. Scrape dough into oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. For do-ahead version: Chill dough overnight. Allow dough to come to room temperature in warm draft-free area before proceeding. For same-day version: Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes (do not punch down dough).
• Lightly oil 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Slide out dough onto prepared baking sheet (dough will be soft and will easily slide out onto sheet; do not punch down dough or knead dough). Gently pull and stretch dough so that dough almost covers baking sheet. Press fingertips all over top of dough to form indentations. Brush top of focaccia with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary and coarse salt. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until puffed, about 30 minutes for refrigerated dough and about 15 minutes for room-temperature dough.
• Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Bake focaccia until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.
• *Available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN CRISP PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil.
• Wrap one slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove, and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS WITH TRUFFLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice and cold water. Trim asparagus to 5 inches long, then steam in a steamer over boiling water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to cold water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry. Season with salt.
• Stir oil into butter until incorporated.
• Cut prosciutto slices into roughly 3- by 3-inch pieces, then thinly coat with truffle butter and place an asparagus stalk at one edge. Roll up, leaving tip and end visible. Repeat with remaining asparagus and prosciutto.

OLIVE POTATO FOCACCIA WITH ASPARAGUS MENORAH

Steps:

• For the focaccia: Peel and dice the potato into 1-inch pieces. Place in a medium stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the potato pieces can be easily pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the water. Let the water cool until it is warm to the touch (about 100 degrees F), about 10 minutes.
• Mash the potatoes and measure 1 packed cup. You will probably have extra potatoes; I suggest adding some salt, butter and a dash of cream and eating them!
• In a large heatproof mixing bowl, add the flour, reserved water, yeast and potatoes and mix with a wooden spoon to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and the salt and mix to combine.
• Knead the dough on a clean surface while adding more flour (up to 1 1/2 cups) until your dough is soft and slightly tacky, 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the olives towards the end of kneading.
• Drizzle a layer of oil in a large bowl and coat the dough in the oil on both sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• When the dough has doubled in size, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to a 12-inch round cast-iron skillet or a similar-sized heavy-bottomed pan to coat the pan. Spread the dough into the skillet so it covers the bottom. If it's bouncing back a lot, let the dough rest a few minutes and try again.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can let it rise in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you refrigerate it, it won't rise as much. Bring it to room temperature before the next step.
• Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Use your fingers to make dimples in the dough and drizzle with more oil.
• For the menorah: Remove the outer darkest layer of the onion and cut into 3 thin pieces that are 1 1/2 inches long to make up the menorah stand. Dice the rest of the onion layer into 1-centimeter pieces to make a decorative border around the edge of the dough.
• Cut off one side of the red pepper, avoiding the seeds. Trim a 2-inch curved piece to be the very bottom of the menorah stand. Then trim 3 thin flatter pieces that are 1 1/2 inches long to make up the menorah stand. Dice the remaining piece of red pepper into nine 1/2-centimeter pieces to make the candle wicks that will be placed between the asparagus candles and the tomato flames.
• Trim each piece of asparagus to fit the middle of the skillet, making sure 1 piece for the shamash (lighter candle) is slightly longer and the other 8 pieces are of equal length. Place the longer shamash piece on top of the dough in the center, then arrange the other 8 asparagus pieces in a row, spacing them out evenly on each side of the shamash. The shamash should be a little taller and the other asparagus pieces should be the same height.
• Add the 9 diced red pepper pieces on top of the asparagus pieces to make the candle wicks. For the flames, slice the grape tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove all the seeds and place one of them cut-side down above each red pepper piece to make a flame (you'll have 1 grape tomato half left over).
• For the base of the menorah, place a single row of olives below the asparagus, then alternate between the thin slices of red pepper and onion in the center to make the menorah stand. Place the 2-inch curved red pepper piece at the bottom of the stand, curving downward. Finally, make a decorative border by alternating between the remaining olives and diced onion around the edge of the dough.
• Brush everything with oil and bake until very golden brown, about 30 minutes. When done, brush with even more oil and sprinkle with salt. Eat! Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and heat before serving.

ASPARAGUS AND TRUFFLE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until melted. Stir in bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour wine into mixture and stir until absorbed. Add 1 cup of broth, stirring until absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of broth, stirring until absorbed; repeat process of adding 1/2 cup of broth until all is used. Stir in asparagus with the last cup of broth. Stirring in the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all. When finished, the rice should be tender yet firm to the bite.
• Stir in Parmesan cheese, truffle oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in milk to taste and to desired creaminess. Cover and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.

ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO GRATIN OF FETTUCCINE

Steps:

• Trim the tough ends of the stalks from the asparagus. With a vegetable peeler, pare away any tough skin from the lower half of the stalk. Cut the asparagus into inch-and-a-half pieces on the diagonal.
• Meanwhile, bring six quarts salted water to boil for the fettuccine. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Steam the asparagus until barely tender. Set aside and keep warm.
• Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add the shallots and the prosciutto and saute until the shallots are soft. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the tarragon and cook five minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the asparagus and keep warm until the fettuccine is cooked.
• Cook the fettuccine until al dente. Add it to the sauce and toss. Drain and transfer to a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake about 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

FOCACCIA WITH HERBED-HONEY PLUMS AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast and warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour, sugar and 1 tablespoon salt into the yeast solution and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Beat on medium speed to knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer dough to the bowl and turn to coat lightly with oil. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel. Set in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• While dough is rising, combine the honey and herbs in a small pot. Gently warm over low for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let herbs steep until ready to use.
• In a medium bowl, toss the plums with 2 tablespoons of the herbed honey. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and mix.
• Spread remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil on a half-sheet pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and, using your hands, pat into an oval, about ½-inch thick, leaving about a 1-inch border between the dough and edges of the pan. Allow the dough to rise to about 3/4-inch thickness, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Use your fingers to make dimples all over the surface of the dough. Top the dough with the herb sprigs from the honey (reserve the honey) and the sliced fruit. Discard any liquid from the fruit. Drizzle the top all over with olive oil. Bake until the dough is light golden brown and the fruit is cooked through and soft, about 25 minutes.
• Dab the surface with the herbed honey while the focaccia is still hot. Allow to cool slightly before topping with the prosciutto. Move the bread to a board and cut into squares while warm to serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH TRUFFLE OIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Vinaigrette:.
• In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients; set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before using.
• Blanch the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; do not overcook.
• Remove from heat and refresh under cold water; drain well.
• Toss asparagus with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat.
• Arrange asparagus on serving platter or individual serving plates.