Wrapped up for the Springtime!

Asparagi Selvatici Avvolto in Pollo & Pancetta con una Glassa di Miele e Limone

Wild Asparagus Wrapped in Honey & Lemon-Glazed Chicken & Bacon

Yes, this all looks very civilized, but the asparagus is indeed of wild variety- very thin, very tender... and of course very tasty! This was my first green asparagus of the season- a little pricey, (well- actually more than twice what it will cost in a couple of weeks say), but still, in my opinion, much nicer than the "regular" stuff you get in the supermarket...

I decided to keep thins simple and to let the ingredients own distinctive flavors speak for themselves in this dish. I served it up with some simple, steamed potato, with butter and parsley and that was all it took to complete the composition, balancing out the crispy, salty bacon and the ever-so slightly bitter nuances of the asparagus flavor- perfect! Sometimes, as today, when the ingredients are really tasty in themselves, less is more. 

I began by scrubbing and slicing the potato, then sprinkling with salt and steaming for 10-15 minutes until tender. Whilst that was bubbling away, I got busy preparing the artichokes and cutting away the woody end pieces. I then popped it into my frying pan with a knob of butter, a pinch of salt, sugar and pepper and light dusting of nutmeg. I tossed the asparagus, at a high heat, for just 1-2 minutes, until it began to change color and to turn more vibrant and rich... just like in real life- it is good to stop when you are ahead of the game in some occasions!

Next came the chicken, which was a simple breast of chicken, which I sliced open using a butterfly cut and opening it into 2 thin and equal slices. I spread the chicken lightly with dijon mustard, seasoned it with salt and pepper, sprinkled it with a little rosemary and then rolled it around each portion of asparagus. I secured it by wrapping the chicken in a strip of bacon, which held the parcel perfectly well together.

And into a hot frying pan they went, with the overlapping end pieces of the bacon facing downwards, so that they would fry and shrink together first and seal themselves nicely from the beginning. I sprinkled them with salt and pepper and rolled them carefully around the pan until they were cooked evenly on all sides. After about 5 minutes, the bacon was brown and the chicken had become nice and white, but was not quite through yet. At this point, I deglazed the pan with a splash of Sambuca, a splash of white wine and added a little lemon juice and honey. 

I rolled the 2 chicken rolls around these great juices until they were nicely coated and then put the lid on the frying pan and let them sit for 2-3 minutes until the chicken was perfectly cooked and the juices reduced down.

The potato needed nothing more than a pat of butter and a sprinkle of parsley and then the whole thing was ready to serve... and to enjoy! And so of course, I hope that you all do! Buon apetito!