Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

I’ve let you down my friends. Where was I this week when I could have been blowing up your news feed and inboxes with an influx of Thanksgiving recipes?

The last week has been spent in the kitchen working on some great dishes and some serious quality time with family.

This year, I was not in charge of the Thanksgiving meal so I decided to really embrace my Wednesday and Thursday outside of the kitchen.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t spend Tuesday in the kitchen and that I won’t be cooking for hours after yoga today.

You better believe that there will be more amazingly tasty dishes being born today. Just like this one.

You will need…

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lb asparagus, rough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 slices prosciutto

½ lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the asparagus, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes. Just until they are browning.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the onions.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.

Add in the asparagus, nutmeg and the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the rice and chicken stock and season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the soup until the rice has cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, spread out the prosciutto on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. About 7 to 10 minutes.

When the rice has booked, remove the soup from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender or use an emersion blender.

Serve hot with crispy proscuitto on top.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lb asparagus, rough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 slices proscuitto

½ lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the asparagus, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes. Just until they are browning.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the onions.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.

Add in the asparagus, nutmeg and the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the rice and chicken stock and season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the soup until the rice has cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, spread out the prosciutto on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. About 7 to 10 minutes.

When the rice has booked, remove the soup from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender or use an emersion blender.

Serve hot with crispy prosciutto on top. 

Scalloped Potatoes Gratin

This time last year, I was majorly gearing up for the holiday. After one year of cooking, there were tons of things on my wish list.

So many in fact, that I registered myself for Christmas and my birthday.

Totally normal.

But this year, I live at my parent’s house.

All my pots, pans, knives and kitchen odds and ends are boxed up and sitting in my storage unit. Unused and lonely.

So what does a girl put on her wish list when everything she needs is provided for the time being by mommy and daddy?

Beyond world peace and a personal masseuse, here is my list in a nutshell…

New running shoes since I have worn away all the traction and have started sliding all over the softball field. And I don’t mean sliding into home.

Spin shoes. When you cook and eat as much as I do, exercise is a must.

Cash. To put in my savings account to go towards my future home. A home that hopefully has an awesome oven to cook these potatoes in.

These potatoes were so good that a large casserole dish full of tasty potatoes yielded NO leftovers.

Lindsey B was bumming when I didn’t bring them into work for her to sample.

You will need…

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Butter

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.

While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. 

Remove cream from heat, and pour a little over the potatoes. 

Top with some grated Parmesan. 

Make 2 more layers. 

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. 

Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

If I were you, I would double this bad boy. You are going to want leftovers.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

P.S. Please note that cookbooks are not on the wish list. The bookshelf is full.