Asparagus with Black Forest Ham and Bolzano Sauce

Spring is a prime time of renewal and detoxification. Asparagus supports this spring cleanse unlike any other vegetable! Seize the asparagus season and enjoy this delicious vegetable as much as you can.
Bolzano sauce is a traditional sauce from the Bolzano area in German-influenced Alto-Adige and goes perfectly with cooked asparagus. It is similar to Hollandaise sauce, but is firmer and richer in consistency. The sauce has a long tradition in Bolzano and was prepared by South Tyrolean farmers over two hundred years ago. It's made with a combination of hard-boiled eggs, olive oil, white vinegar, mustard, chives, and beef broth. Once cooked, the eggs are simply chopped and mashed with the other ingredients.

	Bolzano Sauce
1 kg White asparagus, trimmed and peeled Sea salt 1 tsp Butter 2 tbsp White wine 100 g / 8 slice Black Forest ham	4 Eggs, at room-temperature 30 g Chives, chopped 2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp Hot beef broth (or water) 120 ml Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 tsp White wine vinegar

Hard boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Place them in a pot of cold water. Wash the chives, then pat them dry with a clean towel and finely chop them.
Peel the eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks. Mix the yolks with Dijon mustard and broth in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil in a continuous stream, whisking vigrously until sauce is smooth, thick and velvety. Season with salt, pepper and white wine vinegar. Finely chop the egg whites and whisk them into the sauce together with half of the finely chopped fresh chives.
Peel the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add in butter and white wine. Place the asparagus in the boiling water and cover the pot, leaving the asparagus to boil for about 10 minutes. Remove and drain.
Lay 3-4 asparagus spears on each slice ham. Roll up and place the asparagus parcels on a greased deep baking tray and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Arrange the asparagus parcels on serving dishes and place generous scoops of the sauce over the top, placing any extra in a dish to the side. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped chives and serve.

36 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, 23/4/24 13:24: Yep, I’ll be happy to join you for lunch with this one!
DEZMOND 23/4/24 13:45: I would stuff my mouth silly with those yellow tomatoes, I love them a lot but we do not have them here especially not this early in the spring.
Tom 23/4/24 13:51: ...I need to check, today may be our first picking of asparagus.
Lola Martínez 23/4/24 15:37: Prefiero los espárragos trigueros a los blancos, con jamón por supuesto y el doble de esa salsa deliciosa.
Jeff the Chef 23/4/24 16:09: Bolzano sauce sounds delicious, and I love it's history!
Anonymous 23/4/24 16:14: This is so beautiful and perfect for this time of year! And there’s nothing like the flavor of black forest ham! I 💚 Spargelzeit! David (C&L)
thepaintedapron.com 23/4/24 16:49: Ham and asparagus pair so well together. The sauce sounds divine~
Jenna
Christine 23/4/24 17:17: Looks delicious
Federica Simoni 23/4/24 18:23: Buonissimi!!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 23/4/24 19:18: What a great appetizer!
foodtravelandwine 23/4/24 19:30: WOW!!....your asparagus reached another culinary level!....I love it!!.....Abrazotes, Marcela
Pam 23/4/24 19:48: YUM! I've never had this type of sauce but I am certain it is delicious with asparagus.
roentare 23/4/24 22:26: Black forest ham sounds very nice
Brian's Home Blog 24/4/24 00:11: Boy that looks great, I want some!
Citu 24/4/24 00:47: Me gustan los espárragos. Te mando un beso y gracias por la receta.
Rainbow Evening 24/4/24 02:58: love recipe.....
thank you for sharing.
David 24/4/24 05:48: Hi Angie, This asparagus dish looks amazing! I can't eat greens but I'll have to check out white asparagus. I love asparagus and I miss it! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Margaret D 24/4/24 06:18: Looks interesting and I've never seen white asparagus.
JoAnna 24/4/24 12:54: I love asparagus and yellow tomatoes.
speedy70 24/4/24 17:49: Conosco bene questa ottima ricetta italiana, complimenti!!!
Breathtaking 24/4/24 20:25: Hello Angie :=)
I do love asparagus and ham , they go together really well, and I shall try your recipe with the. sauce as it looks delicious. Thank you Angie.
Cooking Julia 24/4/24 23:06: The sauce looks incredible!!
Mbul Kecil 25/4/24 00:45: Yummy....asparagus with amazing sauce....it's creammy and tasty
Food Blogger 25/4/24 03:03: Looks so good. Thanks for sharing this interesting recipe!
Anonymous 25/4/24 05:02: Looks a perfect spring platter, colorful and full of flavours !!
Grace 25/4/24 07:35: Muy interesante Angie! Sólo que aquí es necesario hacer una imitación por no contar con parte de sus ingredientes. Igualmente sirve como idea básica. Muy rico!
Abrazo! 🤗
My name is Erika. 25/4/24 15:22: I don't know why all of your posts don't show up on my feed. It's very confusing. :( But these look yummy. I have some asparagus I should try something new with also. Happy Thursday.
Carol @Comfort Spring Station 25/4/24 15:56: Asparagus and ham are the perfect combination.
Raymund | angsarap.net 26/4/24 01:35: Springtime and asparagus, a match made in heaven for a refreshing detox! The Bolzano sauce sounds like a rich and velvety addition, reminiscent of Hollandaise but with a unique twist. It's fascinating to learn about its centuries-old tradition in the South Tyrolean region.
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness 26/4/24 02:51: This sounds yummy! The perfect spring recipe. I have never tried white asparagus, I wonder if has the same taste as the traditional asparagus.
Momo (Mauricette ) 26/4/24 07:02: Un vrai régal!
Bonne journée .
Judee 26/4/24 18:47: I love the contrast of color in this lovely asparagus dish! The sauce must taste fabulous with the white asparagus.
Lowcarb team member 27/4/24 01:53: Looks good :)

All the best Jan
tigerfish 2/5/24 17:24: I want some white asparagus. It's like a rare find over here.
The Velvet Runway 2/5/24 17:33: The perfect spring recipe!
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Anonymous 23/5/24 19:18: Another absolutely gorgeous asparagus dish! I love the sound of the Balzano sauce — sounds like it might have a lot of different uses. David (C&L)