Home Cooking with Ruben Lopez Mesa - Asparagus wrapped with Jamon Serrano

Asparagus is a spring vegetable that comes from a plant with about 300 species, including some that are grown as ornamental plants and others that are used by florists in arrangements and corsages. Most people are familiar with the edible variety known as garden asparagus, or Asparagus officinalis.

Garden asparagus was first grown in Greece more than 2,500 years ago, and experts say ancient Romans enjoyed it, too. Unlike most vegetables, which are annuals that need to be planted in season, asparagus is a perennial that grows back year after year. That’s why some people regularly hunt for and find asparagus growing in the wild.

Asparagus tends to grow in temperate climates in soils that are somewhat basic. Today, China, Thailand, Mexico, Peru, and Germany lead the way in the commercial growing of most of the world’s asparagus.

Though green asparagus is by far the most common, pink, purple, and white varieties also exist. These come from the same plant, but in the case of white asparagus, the plant lacks pigment because it's grown entirely underground, so colour-producing chlorophyll never develops. When the plant breaks through the ground, exposure to sunlight turns it green, and some varieties contain anthocyanin, a pigment-containing compound that creates a purple hue.

White asparagus has a milder, more delicate flavour and is grown in large quantities in France, which is why it’s commonly found in Europe.

Asparagus is known for being one of the most nutritionally balanced vegetables. It’s free of fat and cholesterol, very low in sodium, and packed with many key nutrients.

Easy ‘asparagus wrapped with Jamon Serrano’

Ingredients:

- 12 asparagus, trimmed

- 12 sheets of Jamon Serrano

- A bit of olive oil

- A couple of pinches of dry oregano

- Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 180c

- Lay the ham slices out on the work surface, and top each with an asparagus.

- Now roll the ham diagonally around the asparagus, so the whole stem is wrapped in ham. Add pepper and oregano on top.

- Place the Jamon wrapped asparagus on.