Baked Asparagus With Shiitake, Prosciutto and Couscous
Updated April 6, 2021
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
¼ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into ¼-inch strips
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper
Grated nutmeg
3 tarragon sprigs
¾ cup whole-wheat couscous
Nutritional analysis per serving
67 grams carbs; 20 milligrams cholesterol; 555 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 11 grams fiber; 936 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (it should be twice as long as the pan). Lay asparagus in a pile in the center. Scatter mushrooms and prosciutto on top. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt, the pepper and nutmeg. Toss vegetables to coat evenly. Lay tarragon over top.
- Step 2
Fold parchment to completely enclose vegetables, and staple top and sides shut (or tie up with string). Transfer pan to oven and bake for 1 hour. Asparagus should be just cooked through. If too crisp, return to oven until done to taste.
- Step 3
In a small pot over medium-high heat, bring ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons olive oil and remaining salt to a simmer. Stir in couscous and remove pot from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
- Step 4
Spoon couscous onto serving plates and drizzle with oil. Divide prosciutto and vegetables, and their juices, among the plates and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
We were very excited to try this, but unfortunately it did not turn out well at all. The asparagus were completely overcooked - mushy and stringy and basically inedible. Which makes sense when you cook them for an hour. We've always had good luck with Melissa Clark's recipes - not sure what happened with this one.
what happened was 1 hour at 200. when I saw that, I couldn't believe it; asparagus is thin and cooks quickly. try less time next time
Turned out great! I happened to be out of parchment paper and used aluminum foil instead, folding it over without stapling/tying. Still worked!
I was amazed at how easy and delicious this is (admittedly, I increased the amount of prosciutto and shiitakes). Thick asparagus stalks were tender-crisp after an hour at 200 degrees. I served it over a microwaveable quinoa-brown rice blend (which made it even easier).
Made flavors into a puff pastry tart. steamed the asparagus to parcook it, rendered out the prosciutto fat (optional) and used it to sauté mushrooms and some garlic. I combined some goat cheese, a little yogurt, a little cream, some ground pepper, chopped tarragon, grated Parmigiano, and a little beaten egg, and used it to top some rolled-out puff pastry (about 9 X 6”), with the edges rolled up a little to create a frame, Top with veg and chopped prosciutto, baked at 400 about 18 minutes.
Will most certainly make this again. Definitely use thick asparagus or reduce cook time. Drizzle juices from the parchment over before serving!