Ben of What's Cooking has a blogging event "Food For Plastic". This months challenge is to make something that would remind you of Spring, or, if you are somewhere in the Southern hemisphere for Autumn. To me nothing says Spring like rhubarb and asparagus. Neither is growing here at the moment ...but ...with the hint of Spring in the air it is time to move over to thoughts of warmer weather. Yesterday I planted some pansies and primulas in the pots on my deck so after my walk this morning I decided to get cracking and make my dish for this event for lunch. It could of course be served as a delicious appetizer as well. All the details for Ben's event can be found here ... you can also win a prize..I absolutely loved this crispy parmesan flavoured asparagus and it was even heart healthy baked in the oven. I will definitely be making this again. I had this for a meal so had quite a few asparagus spears...wink...wink..., but if I were to make this as a salad only I would use 2 or 3 crispy asparagus spears for an accent only..albeit a very delicious accent!
**Parmesan Crumbed Asparagus on Bocconcini Salad **
250 g fresh asparagus spears
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
4 roma tomatoes, quartered
100 g bocconcini cheese (milk cherries), halved
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
pepper, to taste
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Coat asparagus in flour, dip in egg and coat in combined breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, press lightly. Place asparagus on a lined oven tray and bake at 200°C (400F) for 8 to 10 minutes or until parmesan cheese is golden and crisp.
Combine tomatoes, bocconcini cheese and basil and drizzle with vinegar. Arrange salad onto serving plates, top with crumbed asparagus and season to taste.
