Recipe of the Season: Spring Asparagus, Lemon Whipped Feta and Crispy Prosciutto

Ingredients (serves two):

• 500g Fresh Asparagus
• 200g Good quality Feta or Goats Cheese
• 2 Lemons
• 8 Slices of Excellent quality Prosciutto
• Salt and Multi coloured Peppercorns
• Red Pepper or Chilli Flakes
• Marlborough Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions: For the

Instructions:

For the asparagus:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Take 1 asparagus and bend it so it snaps.
• Where it snapped will mark the place where the asparagus should be trimmed.
• Trim the entire bunch of the asparagus at the same spot where the asparagus snapped, this way they are all the same size
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the asparagus on the baking sheet.
• Drizzle enough olive oil to coat the asparagus and season with salt and pepper.
• Squeeze half of a lemon on to the asparagus and toss it all together.
• Arrange the prosciutto on top of the Asparagus so the oils from will infuse the asparagus whilst cooking.
• Bake the asparagus and prosciutto for 15-18 minutes until the asparagus are roasted and the tips are crispy and the prosciutto is crispy.

For the whipped feta:

​• In a food processor, add the feta and crumble it into large chunks.
• Squeeze the other half of the lemon and add 2 tablespoons of water or the brine of the feta cheese, also add zest of half a lemon.
• Pulse the feta mixture a few times to help brake the large chunks into tiny crumbles.
• Scrape the sides of the food processor to help incorporate the entire mixture.
• With the food processor running steady, add 1 more tablespoon of water and watch the feta come together and get creamy. If it is not getting creamy add more water/brine, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Once the feta is whipped and creamy, serve it on to a plate.
• Once plated, season with freshly cracked pepper, add the juice of 1 entire lemon and add a pinch of red pepper or chili flakes (add more if you can handle the heat).
• Drizzle excellent quality Marlborough Extra Virgin olive oil on top of the feta.

Plating it all together:

​• Once the asparagus is cooked and the feta is whipped and seasoned, serve the asparagus on top of the bed of seasoned whipped feta.
• Arrange the prosciutto bundles around the feta. Serve immediately.