The Endive Chronicles

The recipe I have chosen to share with you today is one I have not made in several years. The idea came about six or seven years ago while customer and chef Gino was sharing a few secrets of his kitchen with me over the espresso bar. On his sage advice I began to keep roasted peppers, capers and olives* as a part of my regular pantry, using them in almost everything. I must admit this did get a little out of hand. While I was in the thick of this phase Phil and I were invited to dinner at the home of our dear friends the Christa and Seth; would I cook dinner?

Of course I would. I carefully planned out each course, but could not decide what to do for the vegetable. One of my biggest pet peeves is being served a mostly fabulous dinner, paired with a boring vegetable. I am convinced the reason many children (and adults, you know who you are) don’t eat their vegetables is because they are usually an unadorned, overcooked snooze-fest. Now, I am not suggesting you dump a jar of cheese-like substance on your broccoli or drown your cauliflower in a sea of ranch dressing, merely that you add a little zing to your veg. A little certainly goes a long way.

I digress; Finally, I decided on asparagus bundles dressed with a little help from my chef Gino recommended pantry staples. When it came to assembling the plates I decided to be a bit artistic and create adorable little trees out of the bundles. As a result, when I brought out the plates, Christa brought out her camera and thankfully the flavor was as pleasing to the palate as the presentation was to the eye.

Asparagus bundles with Caper Vinaigrette

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and blanched

4-8 strips of prosciutto

1 TBS olive oil

1 roasted red pepper**, sliced into long thin strips

1-2 TBS kalamata olives, chopped (think confetti)

Parmesan shavings, at room temp

Fleur de Sel, optional
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

On a clean work surface, place blanched asparagus and sprinkle with the olive oil, fleur de sel and pepper. Work them around a bit to evenly distribute the ingredients. Divide the asparagus into four piles and begin wrapping them with the prosciutto 1 or 2 strips per bunch. Heat a greased saute pan on medium to medium high heat. Add in the bundles and brown the prosciutto on all sides. After they are all browned, place them on a serving dish and dress with the vinaigrette, peppers, olives and parm.

For the trees: Wait to trim the asparagus until after they are blanched and wrapped in prosciutto. This will ensure an even and stable base for your tree. Also, the asparagus should be trimmed to about half size.

Caper Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 TBS sherry vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

A good squirt of fresh lemon juice

Fleur de Sel, optional

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 shallot

2 TBS capers, soaked and pat dry

Whisk together the first five ingredients before tossing in the capers and shallot.
* Cajuns have their holy trinity, I have mine.

** When red peppers are in season, buy fresh and roast your own. They are really lovely.

** My favorite symbol on the keyboard is the asterisk.

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