Rural Missouri - May 2018 - 31

Fresh Asparagus
and Tomato Salad
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Food prepared by the culinary students from:

www.ruralmissouri.coop

Nichols Career Center provides career and
technical education to students from 11 area
high schools in the Jefferson City region.

PARMESAN ASPARAGUS SPEARS
WITH MOCK SUN-DRIED TOMATO AIOLI
2 tablespoons salt
1 lemon, halved
Two 12-ounce packages asparagus, ends trimmed
3/4 cup ﬂour
2 eggs, whisked with a tablespoon of water
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
A pinch of paprika

RUSTIC ASPARAGUS CHEESE TART
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 cups shredded provolone, Gouda or fontina cheese
1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, bring 1 inch of water to a boil; add
asparagus. Cook, covered, until crisp tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
On a lightly ﬂoured surface, place puff pastry into a 16-inch-by-12-inch
rectangle. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined large baking sheet. Bake until
golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry to within 1/2 inch of pastry edges.
Place asparagus over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Stir lemon peel, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together; drizzle over top. Bake until cheese
is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Rustic Asparagus
Cheese Tart

Place a medium-large pot of water over high heat, and add 2 tablespoons salt
so that it tastes like sea water; squeeze in the lemon and stir to combine, and
bring to a boil.
Once the water boils, add in the asparagus, and blanch them for about 30
seconds to 1 minute; remove from water and plunge the spears into an ice water bath to shock the asparagus and stop it from cooking, then drain well and
pat dry with paper towels.
Prepare breading area by getting ﬂour ready in one bowl or container,
whisked eggs in another and the panko breadcrumbs combined with the Parmesan in a third bowl.
Dip the asparagus spears into the ﬂour to coat, then into the eggs, then into
the panko-Parmesan mixture to coat; set aside on a large platter, and repeat
until all are coated.
Heat enough oil in a large skillet or pan to generously cover the bottom
(enough for shallow frying), and once oil is hot, begin adding batches of the
coated asparagus spears and fry, turning once, until golden-brown and crisp;
drain on wire racks, and repeat with all coated asparagus; sprinkle with a bit of
paprika to ﬁnish. Serve with the Mock Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli.

MOCK SUN-DRIED TOMATO AIOLI
1 cup mayonnaise
5 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon roughly chopped ﬂat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
4 heaping tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced
Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir until well blended; serve immediately, or keep in a covered container in the fridge until ready to serve.

Parmesan Asparagus Spears with
Mock Sun-Dried
Tomato Aioli

MAY 2018 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - May 2018