Asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough

I recently joined the Secret Recipe Club – a group of food bloggers, each of whom is secretly assigned a food blog each month from another member of the group, from which you make and post about a recipe of your own choice.

Asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough

Nobody knows who you are assigned to and you have no idea who is perusing your blog looking for a recipe to recreate.

There is something very exciting about diving into the blog to which you have been assigned and discovering so many foodie gems. You also have no idea what will be made in that month by others in the group: everything is kept secret until the “reveal day” when we get to see what others have been up to with their assignments.

This secrecy ticks all the boxes for me!

My first SRC assignment

My first ever Secret Recipe Club assignment is Kate’s wonderfully inspiring Thyme for Cooking blog. Her tagline healthy food, fresh ingredients, simple recipes really does sum up her food ethos.

Kate’s blog is full of wonderful recipes, which are accessible and mouth-watering. And I am such a fan of cooking with the seasons using the best, freshest ingredients as far as possible that this was a real treat.

Packed with so many recipes with great photographs, I defy you not to start book-marking Kate’s recipes to try later! And as the summer approaches (well, one can hope from here in the UK…….the power of positive thought!), the lure of Kate’s impressive selection of salads will be too great to resist – especially when healthier food can, and should, be so tasty.

Kate lives in France (my foodie second home!), and what a great source of inspiration for her food with the wealth of produce on offer.

I was immediately drawn to Kate’s asparagus recipes as I am still very much enjoying my allotment asparagus in its all-too-short season here in the UK. Mind you, the short season does make asparagus all the more special, but I am always on the look-out for exciting new ways to serve asparagus……..

Freshly picked asparagus: makes a great recipe even more special

My recipe choice for SRC: asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough

Amid the great choice on Kate’s blog, I plumped for Asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough as my inaugural post with SRC.

I do love simplicity in food, especially if the flavour is there, and these asparagus rolls fit the bill perfectly on both counts. A real showcase of seasonal produce and an example of a dish that only needs a few ingredients to be great.

The rolls are so flavoursome: cured ham and crisp pastry, all supporting the star of the show, the oh-so-wonderful asparagus. It is quite fair to say that we polished these off with barely a comment while munching, apart from lots of appreciative ooos and mmms.

Asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough

And what is not to love about phyllo/filo pastry. I particularly love how it shatters as you bite into it!

These asparagus rolls were so good that I made them again a few days later to serve with drinks for a party, and being such a fuss-free recipe, you can make up a large batch the day before, cover them with clingfilm to stop the pastry from drying out and bake just before you want to serve them. Perfect. Although they are almost too good to share!

Asparagus wrapped in phyllo: this time with goats cheese inside, with poached egg yolk to dip into

I also made these again for a starter, this time varying the recipe a little by letting the goats cheese join the asparagus and the ham inside the pastry, for that comfortingly cheesy ooze-factor, served with poached egg yolks to be dipped into……top quality soldiers for those of us who have fond memories of soldiers for breakfast!

Recipe: asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough – serves 2

Asparagus:

• 6 fat, green asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 6″ (15cm) tips
• 3 slices Prosciutto or other dry-cured ham, cut in half the long way
• 2 sheets phyllo dough
• olive oil

To garnish:

• 6 slices goat cheese
• fresh chives, chopped

(1) Heat an inch of water in a medium pan until it boils. Add asparagus in a single layer, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the asparagus to a plate.

(2) Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo and brush all over with olive oil (keep the other sheet covered so it doesn’t dry out)

(3) Cut the phyllo in thirds the long way.

(4) Lay a strip of ham, the long way on each sheet.

(5) Lay an asparagus spear cross-wise on the ham / phyllo

ready to roll up tightly

(6) Roll up like a cigar and brush rolls all over with olive oil.

Ready to bake

(7) Repeat with remaining asparagus and ham.

(8) Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400F (200C) for 10 – 12 minutes until nicely browned.

(9) Lay slices of goats cheese on two plates, Sprinkle with chives.

(10) Add the wrapped asparagus and serve.

Asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough

Some of Kate’s other recipes

On the asparagus theme, a shout out must go to Kate’s Asparagus risotto with spring herbs, which I also made for dinner one evening. I had never topped a risotto with a poached egg before, but how I have been missing out all these years: the yolk oozing from the yolk makes this risotto beautifully indulgent – as a risotto should be!

Other recipes of Kate’s I cannot wait to try include:

a Feta and caper tart (I have such a weakness for tarts such as these)

b Prawns/shrimp in lemon and garlic butter (well, prawns are my favourite seafood so this, with a glass of chilled white wine, epitomise simple foodie bliss for me!)

c Viennese striesel (back to my baking roots, I always like to hunt out a good bake such as this)

Finally

Do click on the blue frog icon below, which will take you a list of what others in our group have been making this month.