Hey again! My wife and I had this in a restaurant recently and it was fabulous. I know asparagus is usually a spring vegetable, but it looked really good in the store this weekend so I decided to make an attempt to recreate it. I think mine came out a little zestier, but you can adjust the amount of garlic and pepper to your taste. Either way, this is a quick appetizer or hors d’oeuvre nice enough for a dinner party or just as a side dish for a weeknight dinner.

Asparagus Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped asparagus (1/4″ slices)
• 9 slices ciabatta bread
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
• dash salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 garlic clove or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 18 thin slices parmesan cheese (see picture)

Preparation

Warm up the broiler while you lay out the bread on a baking sheet.  Brush the bread with the tablespoon of olive oil and place under the broiler for just a couple minutes – the bread should just start to brown but not fully toast. Take the bread out of the oven but leave it on the baking sheet.

In a large skillet, melt the teaspoon of butter with the olive oil. If you’re using a garlic clove push it through a garlic press or chop as finely as you can. Add the asparagus, salt, garlic and black pepper to the pan and sauté for just 2-3 minutes – keep it crisp.

Divide the asparagus evenly over the bread slices. Slice the parmesan cheese off the block with a vegetable peeler and top each bruschetta with a couple pieces.

Return the bruschetta to the oven and broil for just 1 minute to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.

I hope you give this a try and love it as much as my family does!