ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO PHYLLO ROLLS

Posted in Appetizers, Small Dishes, Veggies by sallybr

This is easy but so elegant and tasty, hard to come up with a better idea to impress guests or just enjoy a beautiful side dish on a warm Spring evening. I caught the recipe during a recent episode of TheKitchen, courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli.

ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO PHYLLO ROLLS
(very slightly modified from FoodTV Network)

Kosher salt
18 medium stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
24 to 28 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
olive oil spray
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
12 thin slices prosciutto

Prepare an ice bath with a medium bowl half filled with water and ice cubes.
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater. Layer a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until slightly tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to remove the asparagus from the water, transferring them immediately to the ice bath so that they cool down and don’t continue cooking. Let chill 5 minutes, then drain the asparagus and spread them on the baking sheet with the towel.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place one sheet of phyllo on a flat surface with the short end closest to you. Spray the phyllo with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little of the Parmesan. Place another sheet of phyllo directly on top. Brush with additional butter and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Arrange 2 slices prosciutto in a single layer closest to you on the phyllo. Place 2 to 3 stalks of asparagus in bunches along the short side of the phyllo on top of the prosciutto and tightly roll the asparagus up in the prosciutto and phyllo to form a log. Trim the ends of the phyllo to fit the asparagus perfectly. As you make the asparagus rolls, arrange them on a baking sheet with distance between each so that they brown when baking. Spray their tops with olive oil right before baking.

Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown on the outside, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I wrote the recipe as published, except for the use of olive oil instead of melted butter. Amounts are really going to be flexible, I only made four rolls for us, we had three at dinner and one was my lunch next day, still delicious. I never go through the trouble of making the ice bath, I just rinse the blanched asparagus in running very cold water in a colander, and call it a day. But do as it pleases you, your kitchen, your rules. I have stopped brushing phyllo with butter a long time ago – the olive oil spray is amazingly easy, never hurts the sheets and gives enough flakiness without the extra saturated fat. We love the taste also, so it is a win-win situation for us.

I hope you give this super easy recipe a try, it is wonderful! And if you want to go the vegetarian route, maybe a little black olive tapenade or red bell pepper pesto could be nice instead of the prosciutto.

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17Apr2025

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE PROSCIUTTO BAKED EGGS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Incredibly simple, Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

This recipe was inspired by a version from Mark Bittman published back in 2022. I really like the modifications I included, and hope you will also. In typical Sally’s fashion, I got so hooked on it that it was my lunch several days in a row. Yeah, that’s the way I roll. Sometimes.

BAKED EGGS WITH PROSCIUTTO AND TOMATO
(inspired by Mark Bittman)

serves two

2 low-carb tortillas (or any other flour tortilla you like)
olive oil spray
2 slices beefsteak tomato
2 slices of prosciutto di Parma
2 eggs
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
drizzle of heavy cream (optional)
salt (very little)

Heat oven to 375F.

Cut the tortilla to fit snuggly and the bottom of your dish. Spray the dish with olive oil, add the tortilla, spray the top lightly with oil.

Place a slice of tomato on top, a slice of prosciutto, break the egg over it. Add cheese, and if you want, a little drizzle of cream. Salt lightly, the prosciutto will be very salty.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until egg yolk cooked to your liking. If egg white is not fully cooked, run under the broiler. You can also start the baking covering the dish with aluminum foil to help steam the egg white and cook it properly.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: To me, this is almost a perfect lunch. You can kick it up a notch using a slice of sourdough bread instead of tortilla, but I like to keep it light. Beefsteak tomato is underrated, in my opinion. I love it and in this preparation it is really the best kind to use. It stands to baking and contributes moisture and flavor. You can use ham instead of prosciutto, although I rather stick with the latter. The only tricky part is baking long enough to cook the egg white without overcooking the yolk, but play with it and you’ll find what works best in your oven.

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16Jan2024

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE TIMES FOUR

Posted in Air-Frying, Appetizers, Incredibly simple, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

It’s been quite a long time since I shared recipes that are so easy, it’s hard to call them as such. Come to think of it, my most recent post in this series was from May last year (check it out here). So, without further ado, let’s get this ball rolling!

APPLE-PROSCIUTTO APPETIZER

Get some apples, cut them in wedges, any thickness you like. Sit the slices over a couple of crisp Romaine lettuce leaves cut the same size as the apples. Place a slice of cheese on the other side, roll it all together with prosciutto. Sit on a serving plate and drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction (store-bought is totally fine).

AIR-FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Use small sprouts, if you can find them. Cut them in half. Place them in a bowl with very hot water for 10 minutes. Drain. Coat them lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Air-fry at the highest temperature your fryer goes, until golden brown. Probably 15 to 20 minutes. Shake them around every once in a while. I drizzled a little balsamic reduction when I served them. Love that ingredient so much… If you don’t have an air-fryer, simply use your oven at 420F.

YUKON GOLD ROAST POTATOES

Cut each potato in half. Place them in cold salted water and boil gently for 12 minutes. Drain. Drizzle olive oil over a baking sheet that can hold them in one single layer, covered with aluminum foil (non-stick foil works great). Place them cut side down, season lightly with salt and herbes de Provence. Roast them at 420F without moving them for 20 minutes, then flip them around and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more.

ZA’ATAR AIR-FRIED EGGPLANT

I don’t bother salting eggplant anymore, but you can if you prefer. Cut the eggplant in half, score it with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern to expose the flesh. Mix a little olive oil with lemon juice, salt and za’atar. Brush all over the surface, then air-fry at 385F for 25 minutes, until the flesh is cooked, test with a fork.

I hope you enjoyed this small collection of super easy recipes. The apple appetizer is really delicious, I was inspired by a recent show from Molly Yeh (Girl Meets Farm) to make them. Normally I am not too fond of prosciutto without cooking it (like on pizza), but in that recipe it worked nicely with the apples providing nice texture.

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17Jul2023

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PICKLED JALAPENOS

Posted in Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

I am still totally in love with pickled jalapeños and this particular recipe has been in our menu three times in the recent past. It is very low in carbs, very flavorful, and if you own a sous-vide gadget, now is the perfect opportunity to put it to use, because the texture will be absolutely perfect. If you don’t have a sous-vide the process will be reversed. Start by browning the rolled chicken and then bake it. It will be a bit tricky to keep the shape, but doable.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PICKLED JALAPENOS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 chicken breasts
a little lemon juice
salt and pepper
8 prosciutto slices
reduced fat cream cheese (about 6 oz)
finely diced pickled jalapeños, amount to taste
finely minced kalamata olives (or sun-dried tomatoes)
olive oil for searing the outside

Pound the chicken breasts to make the meat uniform – if they are too thick, trim them a bit cutting lengthwise carefully before pounding. Squirt a little lemon juice over the pieces of meat, then season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Mix the cream cheese with the jalapeños and kalamata olives. Season with a l little salt if you like. Add a small amount on top of the meat, closer to one end. Roll the meat around the filling, lay the roll on top of two slices of prosciutto and roll as tightly as you can. Seal in a vacuum bag, and place in the sous-vide bath for 3 to 4 hours at 142F.

Remove from the bag, dry well and sear the outside quickly on a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We are pretty hooked on this preparation. I always do the pickled jalapeños and sometimes couple with different goodies. Olives, black or green, sundried tomatoes are both winner combinations. In this type of recipe the sous-vide truly shines. I don’t make it in the oven anymore, but as I mentioned in the beginning you can do that, reversing the steps. Start with searing. Probably 375 F for 30 minutes maximum will work.

With a side of green beans and walnuts, we did not need anything else!
.

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8May2023

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS

Posted in Air-Frying, Poultry by sallybr

The air-fryer does it, friends! If you don’t have one you can still adapt to a regular oven, but I tell you, the texture and how easy it all happens is hard to beat. Ever since we invested in a model with a bigger basket, I’ve been using it all the time.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
juice of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
slices of prosciutto
spray of olive oil

Squirt a very small amount of lemon juice over the chicken breasts, season lightly with salt and pepper, rubbing the mixture all over.

Lay 2 slices of prosciutto overlapping slightly over a board, place one chicken breast over it and wrap the prosciutto around. Carefully place the meat in the air-fryer basket, with the seam side down. Repeat with all other pieces. Spray them with a little olive oil and air-fry at 400F (or as high as your machine goes) for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the meat midway through. You can check the temperature with a probe thermometer if you prefer a little more precision, going for 160F.

Allow it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made this twice already and will be repeating it soon, because we really liked it a lot. Prosciutto tends to be expensive, that is the only drawback and you do need two slices per breast. We enjoyed it with green beans with almonds and plain rice, it was a quick and very delicious dinner.