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Asparagus and Blue Cheese Tart with Prosciutto October 5, 2006 There are a couple of sure signs that spring has sprung. One is when the goalposts are taken down and park custodians start preparing the cricket pitches. The other is the welcome arrival of new season’s asparagus. Asparagus was considered a luxury vegetable in ancient Egypt, Italy and Greece. It was attributed with medicinal qualities that helped relieve the pain of bee stings and toothache. There are more than 300 varieties of asparagus, including wild ones which are revered in Mediterranean regions where spring asparagus harvesting has been a ritual since ancient times. White asparagus is the result of protecting the growing spears from sunlight, interrupting photosynthesis. Purple asparagus is also seen, though this turns green on cooking. Some people prefer fat spears, others like them thin. Whichever you favour, ensure you choose uniform spears so they will cook evenly. Just a few stalks provide healthy amounts of folic acid, vitamin C and disease-fighting antioxidants. Today’s recipe is a blend of good flavours – fresh asparagus, thin slices of pleasantly salty prosciutto, pockets of blue cheese, some sweet leeks and a mild creamy filling to hold them all together. My favourite deli counter at the market has freshly sliced prosciutto laid out about eight slices at a time on sheets of plastic. Usual cost is about $2.50 a sheet. I buy some most weeks. They make a quick and handy addition to an antipasto platter, crisp-fried and crumbled over a salad, chopped into scrambled eggs or scattered over a pasta dish. Blue Cheese and Asparagus Tart
Place the flour and butter in a food processor with the salt and process in short bursts till it is like breadcrumbs. Add some iced water, a teaspoon or two at the time, processing between additions, until the dough starts to form into a ball. Remove from the processor and knead into a ball. Roll out and use to line a 23cm pie dish. Trim the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Press some aluminium foil onto the pie base – weighting it down with dried beans. Cook at 200C for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil. Filling: Saute the leek slices in the butter till tender. Set aside to cool down a little. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Cut each stalk to half the diameter of the pie shell. Chop the rest of the stalks into uniform pieces. Combine the eggs, sour cream and seasoning, whisking lightly. Place the sauteed leeks on the base of the partly cooked pie shell. Arrange the asparagus like wheel spokes in the pie shell, with the tips in the centre. Distribute the chopped asparagus ends evenly round the dish between the asparagus stalks. Crumble the cheese over the short stalks and drape the prosciutto over the top, leaving the whole stalks visible. Pour the egg mix into the pie. Return to the oven and continue cooking at 200C for 10-15 minutes until golden. Allow to stand for five minutes before cutting. Serve hot or at room temperature with a crisp salad. The tart filling shouldn’t require extra salt as the prosciutto and cheese contribute enough. More asparagus:
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Pastry:| ©2000-2011 Pat Churchill