Roasted asparagus tips wrapped with Serrano ham was a bit of a gamble for my tapas selection but one that was the most unexpected hit. Even with people that wouldn’t usually eat, or even try, asparagus.
Asparagus is one of those foods that people often take a dislike to without even trying it. I have to admit to being in that camp, until I tried these little beauties. Something about asparagus just didn’t immediately appeal, I don’t know why!
This recipe is really simple but delicious.
Ingredients:
You’ll want some asparagus tips, the thinner and finer the better, and some Serrano ham.
Normal supermarkets will have asparagus tips which you can use but for the extra touch look out for the fine ones, M&S asparagus tips are the ideal size, less than a cm across at the widest point.
Method:
Remove the base of the asparagus tips with a sharp knife as this is sometimes a little dry, less than a quarter of an inch will be fine.
A full strip of Serrano ham is quite long for little asparagus tips so slice the Serrano ham into 2 or 3 smaller pieces.
Wrap one small piece of Serrano ham around the asparagus tip.
Repeat many times!
If you are serving a platter of different tapas for your guests you will want at least 3 or 4 of these mini asparagus tips per person.
Preheat a fan oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Spread out the wrapped asparagus tips on an oiled baking tray.
Brush a little more oil over the top of the asparagus.
Grind a little black pepper over the top of the asparagus tips. Salt is not needed as the ham will be salty enough.
Place in the oven for 7 minutes to roast, a few minutes longer if you are using thicker asparagus tips.
Serve immediately and you can eat them with your fingers. Yum!