Asparagus Ham Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, saute asparagus and yellow pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and ham; heat through. Drain pasta; add to mixture. Stir in parsley and seasonings. Sprinkle with cheese.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan. Once it's foaming, add the asparagus and cook for 4-5 mins until soft but not coloured. Remove from the pan and drain well on kitchen paper. Rinse out the pan and pour in the cream, milk and garlic. Bring to the boil, simmer until reduced to 350ml - check by pouring into a measuring jug - then add the asparagus and boil for a few secs. Remove from the heat.
• Blend the mixture in a liquidiser along with the spinach leaves, then sieve into a clean bowl. Add the soaked gelatine and stir until dissolved. Sieve again and allow to cool for a few mins in the fridge, but do not let it set.
• Beat the egg white to soft peaks, then carefully fold into the asparagus mix and season. Divide the mousse between 4 glasses or ramekins and leave them to set in the fridge.
• To make the ham salad, mix all the ingredients, apart from the watercress, in a small bowl and season. When the mousse is set, remove each glass from the fridge, place some watercress leaves on top of the mousse, spoon on the diced ham salad and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Steps:

• Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives and mustard in a bowl.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; reduce the heat to low and simmer until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the asparagus and simmer until the rice and asparagus are tender, about 3 more minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water, stirring gently to remove excess water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the lemon juice and half of the prepared chive sauce; season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ham steaks, overlapping as necessary, and cook, flipping occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the ham and cook, flipping often, until the sugar melts. Season with pepper. Serve with the rice salad, the remaining chive sauce and lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Make up the dressing by putting all the dressing ingredients into a jar and shaking it well. The dressing can be made up well in advance.
• Choose two attractive plates or bowls and start to assemble the salad.
• Place the potatoes on the plate/bowl first and then arrange the strips of ham & asparagus spears over the top - gently mix through to "just" mingle the ingredients together.
• Next, scatter the minced/finely diced red onion over and then the sliced cornichons - if you are using them.
• Pour over the honey & mustard dressing - giving the salad a liberal dousing!
• Season and scatter the chopped chives and/or the chopped chervil over the top.
• Serve with crusty bread & a glass of crisp, chilled white Chablis or Chardonnay!
• Optional ideas:.
• You could also add peas, broad beans, olives or crispy bacon!

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
• Fill the pasta pot with 3 quarts of water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the coarse salt and the asparagus. Blanch, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. (Cooking time will vary according to the size and tenderness of the asparagus.) Immediately remove the colander from the water, letting the water drain from the asparagus. Plunge the asparagus into the ice water so they cool down as quickly as possible and retain their crispness and bright green color. (The asparagus will cool in 1 to 2 minutes. After that, they will soften and begin to lose crispness and flavor.) Drain the asparagus and wrap it in a thick kitchen towel to dry. (Do not cook the asparagus in advance or it will lose its crispness.)
• Break each egg into a ramekin or small cup. Set aside. In a large, shallow saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the vinegar. One by one, bring the edge of a ramekin or cup level with the surface of the water and slide the egg in gently. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Poach the eggs until the whites are firm but the yolks are still runny and are covered with a thin, translucent layer of white, about 3 minutes.
• With the sieve or slotted spoon, carefully lift the eggs from the water and transfer them to several thicknesses of paper towels.
• Place the salad greens and chives in a large salad bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to coat the greens lightly and evenly.
• Place the asparagus on a large plate and add just enough dressing to lightly coat the spears. Roll the asparagus in the dressing.
• Arrange the dressed greens at one side of each of 4 large dinner plates. (Rectangular plates are particularly beautiful here.) Carefully place a poached egg alongside. Arrange 4 asparagus spears next to the eggs. Carefully drape a slice of ham over each of the poached eggs. Season the greens lightly with fine sea salt and generously with pepper. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with the toast.

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the orzo, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water in a colander set in the sink.
• Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, cider vinegar, Dijon and yellow mustard, chives, sugar, black pepper, and salt in a bowl.
• Place the cooked and cooled pasta, ham, red onion, green pepper, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss together with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• To make the pastry:.
• Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Beat the egg yolk and ice water in a small bowl to blend, add it to the pastry. Work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky.
• Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour.
• Roll the dough out into a 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick.
• Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin (this may take a little practice) and lay it inside a 9-inch springform pan.
• Press the dough firmly into the bottom and sides so it fits tightly; trim the excess dough around the rim.
• Place the pan on a sturdy cookie sheet so it will be easier to move in and out of the oven, this quiche is pretty heavy.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• To make the filling:.
• Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, coat the pan with oil, and add the onions.
• Slowly cook the onions, stirring, until they caramelize and release their natural sugars.
• Add a couple of tablespoons of water to help the onions break down, if needed.
• Toss in the ham, cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes to get some color on it.
• Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, pour in the cream; season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the caramelized onions and ham over the bottom of the crust and carefully pour in the cream and egg mixture; the filling should be about 1-inch from the top of the pan.
• Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until the quiche is set, puffy, and jiggles slightly.
• Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime make the asparagus salad.
• To make the asparagus salad:.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus for 4 minutes, or until they are just crisp-tender.
• Drain the asparagus, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, and drain well.
• Slice the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces and put them in a mixing bowl.
• Add the Parmesan and herbs, drizzle the herb and asparagus salad with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, season with salt and pepper.
• Toss gently to combine.
• Loosen the quiche from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim.
• Carefully unmold the ring, and transfer the quiche (with the bottom base) to a serving plate.
• Cut it into wedges, drizzle with a little olive oil, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.
• Garnish with the asparagus salad on top.
• NOTE: As hand sizes vary, I have indicated the approximate amount of each per 'my handful' -- adjust accordingly.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry. , In a 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine the asparagus, eggs and ham; sprinkle tapioca evenly over all. Stir in the cheese, green pepper, onion and parsley. , In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, cream and soup; add to casserole and mix thoroughly. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over top. , Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand a few minutes before serving.