Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

To celebrate our close friend’s birthday, we had an impromptu tapas and cocktail gathering. With images of the bright green color of Dale Chihuly’s Lime Green Icicle Tower (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) still fresh in our minds, we were attracted to a bundle of gorgeous emerald-colored asparagus. We decided to wrap the delicate rods in salty prosciutto and serve on a white elliptical platter. This is the perfect quick appetizer that takes just minutes to prepare, and makes quite the visual impression!

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
 
1 bundle of asparagus (about 1 lb)
1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
juice of half a lemon
1 T EVOO
1 T reduced balsamic syrup (we found this at a gourmet store and put it on everything!)
salt and pepper throughout

Fill a bowl with iced water. Boil a large shallow pot of water. Snap the tough bases off the asparagus and place in the boiling water. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes or until the asparagus turns bright green. With tongs, remove the green stalks and place them in the iced water. This will stop the cooking and keep the asparagus bright and crispy.

With a paper towel, pat dry the asparagus and toss with the lemon juice, EVOO and salt and pepper. Wrap each asparagus rod with 1 piece (about 1/2 a slice) of prosciutto. Drizzle with the reduced balsamic glaze and serve.