Delicious as a tapas dish:

Mix 1/4 cup whole-wheat panko (finely ground) breadcrumbs, 2-3 tsp of Dijon mustard, 1-2 tsp of prepared curry powder* to taste, a dash of cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt, and freshly cracked black pepper into 1 lb of ground lamb.

*You can mix your own curry powder using cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon (listed in decreasing quantity of addition). Maybe a dash of paprika.

Form 16 lamb meatballs.

Sautee on the stovetop over medium-high heat until all sides are browned and the center done to your liking. These would also be great prepared on the grill.

Serve with yogurt-cumin dipping sauce.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: Lamb happily pairs with most any red wine. The cumin in curry gives an earthy sweet-spicy flavor; so I would compliment that with an earthy wine. A Spanish red such as Rioja or Ribera del Duero would be a lovely pairing and nod to the tapas tradition. Hermitage (Syrah), Irouleguy (Tannat blended with Cabernet Franc or Sauvignon), Greek reds, or reds from other Mediterranean regions would all pair beautifully. Cheers!

Method 1 – Blanch and saute:

Blanch in boiling, salted water for 2-7 mintures, depending on thickness of stem and desired crunchiness (usually 4-5 min works for 1-cm thickness).

Immediately move to ice water. Once cool, drain thoroughly.

Heat 2-3 tsp butter and/or olive oil in saute pan over medium heat, add a finely minced shallot and saute for 2-3 min until soft and fragrant.

Add asparagus and toss with shallots until hot.

Season with sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper.

Variation to method 1:

After asparagus is blanched and cooled, wrap with proscuitto and either serve cold or place on grill until proscuitto is cripsy. Season with sea salt and grated orange peel (this variation is thanks to my friend Pam!). If grilling, be sure to only briefly blanch to bring out the green color but not lose the structure of the stem for grilling.

Method 2 – oven-roast:

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper in roasting pan.

Place in 450F oven for about 10 min (watch carefully!), occassionally stirring them to prevent sticking and encourage even browning.

Let cool slightly, drizzle with balsalmic vinegar and serve with a few curls of Peccorino-Romano.

You can also pan-roast them on the stove-top over med-high heat to achieve similar results.

Bon Appetit!

Wine pairing: I like Sauvignon blanc with asparagus – either an old world or new world style. A Vouvray (Chenin blanc) would also be nice. Viognier woul be a lovely pairing with the cold prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and consider a Pinot grigio with the grilled version. Cheers!