While asparagus is available all year round spring is when it really tastes the best and we try to eat it as often as we can. We served this particular dish at a dinner party this past weekend with grilled ribeye steaks and goat cheese mashed potatoes. You could tell there weren’t any children around as everyone was very excited when I took this dish out of the oven and nobody complained about eating their vegetables.
The asparagus is “dressed up” with the addition of shallots and pancetta (everything is better with bacon – especially Italian bacon) and then roasted until tender. Top it off with some yummy Italian cheese shavings and broil it for a minute – you have an easy to make but very tasty vegetable dish.
Ed was thrilled that there was some asparagus leftover as he “threw an egg over it” (as his mom used to say) to make a really good omelette the next morning.
This dish would make a lovely addition to an Easter meal.
| Roasted Asparagus with Pancetta, Shallots and Asiago | | Print |
- 2 bunches of asparagus (about 30 to 40 thin to medium stalks)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces of pancetta, finely chopped or cubed
- 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 2 ounces Asiago cheese, thinly shaved
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the tough woody ends of the asparagus by breaking them off or with a knife.
- Coat a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish with olive oil.
- Toss asparagus, pancetta and shallots in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the asparagus, tossing once or twice, until tender - about 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness.
- Remove pan from the oven and preheat the broiler.
- Spoon the shallots and pancetta on top of the asparagus. Place the cheese on top of the asparagus. Broil until the cheese melts, about a minute.
- Transfer asparagus to a platter and sprinkle with lemon zest before serving.
Source: Adapted from Gordon Hamersley’s Bistro Cooking at Home (2003)
This sounds delish. We are big fans of roasted asparagus. Curious, when you made this, did the pancetta get crispy?
Thanks, Jen! It didn’t get crispy. I would say that if you want crispy you should cook it a bit before hand. I also used thin asparagus so if it had been thick it would have allowed the pancetta to cook a bit longer which may have made it crispy? Hope that helps!
My kids love asparagus! I made it last night and it’s all gone … Next time I will see if they like this recipe. Thanks!
Oh, let me know! I’ll have to change the part about kids eating their veggies!
My fiance and I absolutely LOVE asparagus and have a new found love of pancetta, as well. So this receipe is right up our alley. It’ll be a nice way to change up the mundane recipe we’ve been over using. Looking forward to trying it and sharing it with others. Thanks for the post, Nicole!
Thanks, Kat! I think you’re going to like it!
Nicole – this dish could easily be a light supper for us! Love the flavor combination – I bet it is addictive!