Author Notes
I was thinking of my niece, who is working towards a PhD in art history and has a sometime Easter birthday, while I had a vague idea of putting together a combined salad and vegetable combination for Easter dinner. Using some help from an award-winning food52 recipe using a balsamic vinegar reduction, I saw the immediate application of artistic license in creating this dish. This is for Lida Mary - and all her hard work. —Bevi
Ingredients
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1 bunch
asparagus
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3 ounces
prosciutto, sliced
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Olive oil as needed
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Salt and pepper to taste
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Salad greens for 4
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lemon juice as needed
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1 cup
good balsamic vinegar
Directions
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Over medium heat, pour a cup of balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan, and cook until 3/4 of the volume has evaporated. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. Remember that the syrup will further thicken while cooling. Allow the syrup to cool.
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Place the asparagus on a baking sheet pan, and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then take each slice of proscuitto and tear in half lengthwise. Wrap 3 stalks of asparagus with the lengthwise halves of proscuitto. Place the asparagus bundles in a 425 degree oven.
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Meanwhile, assemble mixed mesclun greens on a platter. Season with a slight dribbling of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
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After the asparagus bundles have roasted nicely (about 10 minutes), use tongs to turn them over for an additional 10 minutes. Then take the asparagus out of the oven and allow the bundles to cool slightly.
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In the meantime, assemble the salad platter. Dribble, as if you were Jackson Pollack, the balsamic syrup around the sides of the platter. Using a technique of dribbling from a spoon, apply very thin ribbons of syrup over the greens.
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Place the cooled asparagus bundles atop the greens. Use the syrup to flavor the bundles. You can also make individual servings of this salad should you choose.
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