Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

This is one of my favorite ways to eat Asparagus. I made this in class for my final practical in lab and my teacher liked it as well as my classmates. My wife and I made this last night so I can show you how to prepare it. The Neufchatel Cheese gives it a creamy and tangy taste. It will leave you wanting more!

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Makes 8


Ingredients

• 1 lb. Fresh Asparagus 
• 8 oz. Neufchatel Cheese at Room Temperature (Found right next to the Cream Cheese)
• 8 Slices of Prosciutto (I buy mine at the Deli and have them slice it fresh for me. You can get it a little thicker which will make spreading the cheese easier.
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Black Pepper

Note: I had a little extra asparagus left over, so we ate it. You could get more Prosciutto and probably get a couple more out of it. One way to see how much Prosciutto you need, just count the asparagus at the store and divide by 3 or 4. I only used a half a block of cheese so you won't need more.

Directions

     1.  Preheat oven to 450.
     2.  Wash the asparagus and trim off bottom ends about an inch.

An easy way to know where to trim is by bending it and see where it snaps. 

     3.  In a large pot, bring some water to a boil. You will need enough to cover the asparagus. When water comes to a rolling boil, add asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. You want them just starting to get tender. They will cook in the oven a little longer. Pull them out of the water, rinse with cold water, and drain on paper towel or in colander.

     4.  Lay out the Prosciutto and spread Neufchatel over it.

Be careful not to tear the Prosciutto. The cheese will ooze out if you do.

     5.  Place 3 or 4 Asparagus Spears on a slight angle on top of the cheese.

Start out toward top of spear on an angle.

Roll all the way to the end.

     6.  Drizzle a little Olive oil on your baking sheet so they don't stick, then place your wrapped asparagus on it. Drizzle some more Olive Oil over the asparagus and add just a little black pepper.

      7.  Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.

You want to bake it just until the Prosciutto starts to crisp up and the cheese is just about to ooze out. 

Done and ready to serve

We had ours as a side with my Smoked Gouda Chicken Cordon Bleu.

For my next Blog post, I will give you the recipe for my Smoked Gouda Chicken Cordon Bleu! So keep your eyes peeled! And as always, let me know what you think.