| ASPARAGUS TORTILLAS IN A BUTTER WINE SAUCE |
| I was in New York and saw this cooking show. They made a version of this which, of course, I had to tamper with and make my own. I hope you enjoy it. |
| Ingredients: 8 pieces of steamed asparagus 2 tortillas 4 slices provolone (enough to cover the inside of the tortillas) 2 handfuls of fresh parsley 1-2 cups white wine (I use a Verdicchio) 1/4 cup minced shallots 1/4 lb unsalted butter Juice of 1 whole lemon full cream (I don't measure this I pour it in to make the sauce creamy...about 1/2 - 3/4 cup) pinch of salt 1 tbsp fresh ground pepper olive oil Method: Lay out each tortilla. Place the provolone on each and then lay 4 of the asparagus in each. Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley. Fold each side of the tortilla over. Brush an oven proof corning ware or ceramic dish with a bit of olive oil. Set each tortilla on the dish, seam side down, and brush with a little olive oil. Bake in 350 F oven until browned (about 6-8 minutes). Do not over cook. In the meantime, make the sauce. In a 2 qt (small) saucepan put the minced shallots and wine. Cook over high heat until reduced in half. Lower the temperature on your stovetop to low and add the cream. Add the butter but remove the sauce from the stovetop completely. Add the juice of the lemon and strain the mixture. Put the pot back on the stove over a very low heat and add the parsley. Stir until a little thickened (should only take 30 seconds or so) and then set aside. Keep in mind this is NOT a thicker sauce. Take your tortillas out of the oven and slice a thin strip off the bottom (where the lower end of the asparagus is). This will provide an even base for it to sit on. Now you are going to make one diagonal slice 1/3 the way down and then an equivalent slice off the top straight across. Then you will stand each of the three pieces on a plate - flat side down. The diagonal slice will cause the top to be angled and so will the ones with the tips of the asparagus because that is the top of the tortilla. Anyway, the cuts are done for presentation of the dish. Set the three pieces (as I mentioned) together in the middle of the plate and take your sauce and pour the sauce around the outside of the tortilla (on the plate itself) and a bit on top of the tortillas. Serve hot. Makes 2 appetizers unless serving a group then it can served as 6 individual appetizers. |
| Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5 |
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