Asparagus Appi's

With the Super Bowl right around the corner, foodies like me start thinking about what kind of fun food we're going to prepare. While on my way to Boston last spring for a conference, I leafed through a taste of home magazine given to my by a friend. Because it was spring, there were several recipes using asparagus. I am not typically a lover of asparagus. .but I am finding ways of fixing it that I really enjoy. I tried out this recipe for my in laws at Easter. .scoring great reviews from everyone!

At Christmas time, I fixed it for my family to share at our Christmas "appetizer meal." I must note here, that my mom took the pictures for me. .like a blogging pro!!

There are only 3 ingredients. .but probably none of which you have in your stock. You will have to make a conscious decision to go to the store to purchase these ingredients. .but you will love 'em!! Promise!

You  need. .one bunch of asparagus. (I actually didn't know that this was sold in stores other than in the spring. My MIL has a huge patch. .so I don't even look for it then!)

1 small package of goat cheese (you'll find it with the specialty cheeses, or alongside the cream cheese section) Soft goat cheese, also called chevre cheese, is a lot like cream cheese. It isn't quite as creamy, and maybe a little saltier. It is lower in calories and fat. .and higher in protein than cream cheese. We did use cream cheese once in these. .and I really did prefer the chevre. .your choice.

1 package prosciutto. This is an Italian dry cured ham. VERY thinly sliced, packaged on little plastic dividers so you can even get it out. I find it in the specialty meats and cheese section too. 2 packages of prosciutto is probably necessary if you want to make appi's out of ALL of your asparagus that comes in the bunch.

Cut the prosciutto in half. .I use a really sharp knife and cut through the meat and plastic dividers too. Using a butter knife, spread. .or press on. .a little bit of goat cheese. Don't worry about getting the cheese in a nice little even layer. .it won't happen. You'll figure out quickly. .that if you can get some cheese onto the meat slice in any fashion. .that's good enough for this little project.

Place a spear of asparagus onto the meat and roll it up. I tend to pull and roll at the same time, to stretch the meat as far along the spear as I can.

Throw those little puppies onto the grill, turning regularly until the prosciutto is crisp and the asparagus is tender. The other night I tried the George Foreman grill. .they tasted good, but weren't as eye appealing as they are coming off the outdoor grill. Not to mention. .my cheese got a little hot in there, and spilled out. .with the gas grill, the cheese stays put. .inside the roll-up. .where it belongs. Oh well! 

Tristan finished up the goat cheese and asparagus by using some thinly sliced deli ham when we ran out of the prosciutto. It tasted pretty good too. A little ham-y-er (that's a word, right??). 

I wanted to share this recipe early in the week, in case anyone needs something different to take to the Superbowl parties!! In a few days, I'll have some photos that I took with the kids last weekend in Salina!! We had a wonderful time. .and I can't wait to share!

Happy Monday!