Ham Asparagus Rolls and Caprese Salad

Ham Asparagus Rolls and Caprese Salad

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Ham and Asperagus Rolls Ingredientes

Spring has sprung! I know it’s true, because our supermarkets are loaded with asparagus and it’s finally at a reasonable price! My mom has been an avid hunter of wild asparagus for years – I think she was taught by her father, who always referred to the elusive stalks as “asper-grass.”  I wouldn’t go near the stuff until I was well into my 30s … and I don’t really know why. It’s quite delightful! The first time I served it to my daughter, she cut off all the tips and pushed them to the side, thinking that was “the yucky part.” She quickly learned otherwise. 

I have eaten asparagus rolled in ham with a sauce before, but I had never made it. When I saw a photo on a website recently, I decided to give it a try … and to my surprise it was extremely easy and only required five ingredients. I served the asparagus as a main dish with a baked potato and caprese salad on the side. The salad was so good that I’m including that recipe today too … so you’ll get to use our new Spice Grinder! I absolutely love mine … I’ve been dusting everything with Seasoned Salt since I got it.

So make a springy-licious dinner with Ham Asparagus Rolls and Caprese Salad! Your plate will be pretty as a picture, and you won’t have to work hard to make it that way.

Ham Asparagus Rolls

Wash the asparagus and trim off the ends to fit your pan (I used an 8×8 baker). Blanch the asparagus in boiling, salted water for 1 minute; drain and immediately put it into a bowl of ice water (that you have ready and waiting). Keep the asparagus in the ice water until it’s completely cool (about 3-4 minutes), then drain it and pat it dry. Spread each slice of ham with a little of the Burger & Brat Mustard or the Bayou Bourbon Glaze – just a schmear. 

Lay 3 asparagus spears at one edge of one slice of ham and roll it up. Place the rolls in a greased pan. Spread some of the Smoky Cheddar Cheese Ball on the tops of the ham rolls. Bake, uncovered, at 350 until heated through – about 15-20 minutes.

Testing Notes:

  • I made half with Burger & Brat Mustard and half with Bayou Bourbon Glaze (my husband is not a big fan of mustard). Both were delicious!
  • I softened my Smoky Cheddar Cheese Ball just a little in the microwave and put about half of it into a sandwich bag; then I snipped off a corner of the bag and piped it onto the ham rolls. You could just spread it on with a knife or spoon, but it looks cuter piped and it wasn’t hard to do.
  • I garnished mine with a little diced red bell pepper because I already had some chopped. It looked pretty and added a flavorful crunch.
  • My family LOVED these. Both of my testers gave them a 6 (on a scale from 1 to 6).

 

Caprese Salad

(I don’t speak Italian … but I think this is pronounced “kuh-pre-zee”)

I’m going to give you measurements, but this is a very flexible recipe. Use what you have and as much as you need!

Alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella on a plate, leaving space to add the cucumber slices (see photo for ideas … then go nuts with your own creativity!). Drizzle everything with the Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil; top with freshly ground Seasoned Salt (using your grinder, of course!). Garnish with the chopped fresh basil, if desired.

Testing Notes

  • I love this salad. I want to marry it.
  • Super easy and it looks so great!
  • I used some new-fangled tomatoes that I found at my local grocery store – one was called a “kumato” and is a very dark color, juicy and flavorful. The other was called a “Tesoro” – it was shaped like a Roma, but it didn’t really have any seeds or mushy stuff inside … just dense tomato flesh the whole way through. Very red and also tasty. But you could use any kind of tomatoes, including grape tomatoes. I wanted to do part red and part yellow, but my store didn’t have any yellow tomatoes.
  • Yum! You should make this!

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