Asparagus

Knoxville's first Farmers Market is supposed to happen this Friday, and I can barely wait! I have no idea what I will find there -- strawberries? greens? winter carrots? maybe even...asparagus?



Fellow asparagus lovers, we are in heaven right now, aren't we? The grocery stores have plenty, it is affordable, and, best of all, it looks good.

Grilling season is also beginning now (well, here in the south, at least), so you can just imagine how jazzed I was to find a great recipe for asparagus on the grill, and wrapped in pork, no less.   People, this stuff is so good, it's hard not to just finish off the whole platter before it even makes it to the table.

The recipe comes from Mario Batali's cookbook Italian Grill (one of the most fun grilling cookbooks I've seen in a while!) and can be found online HERE.  Once you make this using the recipe, it is easy to remember the basic method of wrapping the asparagus in thinly sliced pancetta, chilling for a bit to make the pancetta "stick", grilling briefly, and then serving with a citrus vinaigrette.  After that, the recipe adapts really easily to greater or lesser quantities or even with different dressings, seasonings, or vegetables.

A few things to consider when making this:

• Get the pancetta cut thinly -- about the thickness of a thin sliced deli ham.  It should not be so thin that it falls apart, though...
• When you make the citronette / vinaigrette, be sure to mix the zest, juice, mustard, and seasonings together well, then slowly whisk in the olive oil to get a good emulsion.  I store it in a small glass jar with a lid, so it is easy to shake before serving if needed.
• If you find you have way too much vinaigrette, you CAN cut the recipe in half, or use the remaining dressing within a few days.  It is really good used to briefly marinade thinly sliced red onions for a salad.  It is also really great as a final dressing for tuna steaks grilled with a teriyaki/ginger style seasoning. 
• Best cooked on the grill, but it cooks well on an indoor grill or even under the broiler in the oven.
• Leftover asparagus (if you happen to have any!) can be chopped up and thrown into an omelet with a little cheese.

Oh my.  Happy Spring, y'all!

The recipe:
Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus with Orange Citronette