Crispy asparagus and cheese rolls. Vegetarian recipe

Crispy asparagus and cheese rolls. Vegetarian recipe

Food · ·

These rolls are an original idea for enjoying asparagus as a starter, aperitif or alongside eggs. A vegetarian recipe that delights the palate.

To wrap the tender asparagus, we chose filo pastry — thin, low in fat and wonderfully crispy even when baked in the oven.

Preparation

Begin preparing the crispy asparagus rolls by bringing a small amount of lightly salted water to the boil with a few sprigs of thyme. Meanwhile, trim the tough, fibrous bottom end from the asparagus spears.
Steaming the asparagus © Beatrice Spagoni
 Place the asparagus in a steamer basket, set it over the pot of boiling aromatic water and steam the asparagus for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lay the sheets of filo pastry on a chopping board, brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves, then cut them into rectangles approximately 25 x 7 cm.
Preparing the filo pastry © Beatrice Spagoni
 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the asparagus from the steamer and leave to cool slightly. Then wrap each asparagus spear in 1 or 2 rectangles of filo pastry (slightly offset), and arrange the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with more grated Parmesan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
Assembling the filo pastry rolls © Beatrice Spagoni
 When the surface of the pastry is golden and crispy, remove the crispy asparagus rolls from the oven, leave to cool slightly and serve.
The crispy asparagus rolls ready to serve © Beatrice Spagoni

Tips and curiosities

Filo pastry is a type of dough of Greek origin. Its ingredients are water, flour and oil. The preparation is long and laborious, as the dough must be left to rest and rolled out until it becomes very thin. If you are short on time, it is preferable to buy it ready-made from a shop.

Steps

  • Steam the asparagus for 5 minutes
  • Lay out the sheets of filo pastry, brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and thyme, and cut into rectangles
  • Wrap the steamed asparagus in the filo pastry rectangles, arrange the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper, sprinkle with more Parmesan and oil, and bake for 25 minutes at 180°C
  • When the pastry is golden and crispy, remove the asparagus rolls from the oven, leave to cool slightly, then serve