5 - Asparagus and Mozzarella Bake

http://www.stayinpiedmont.com/pages/new/Food/Primi.html#asparagus_bake

After travelling through France, Phileas Fogg continued his journey by train through Italy.  The main train route through Italy to Bari can be seen in this photo which is going to form the basis of the next few recipes.  Italy is divided into 20 regions, each having a capital.  Our first stop is Turin, in the Piedmont region.  Italians traditionally eat their meals over 3 or 4 courses.  It's a time for family and friends, meaning that the experience of eating together is extended and enjoyed.

Meal stage	Composition
Aperitivo	apéritif usually enjoyed as an appetizer before a large meal, may be: Campari, Cinzano,Prosecco, Aperol, Spritz, Vermouth.
Antipasto	literally "before (the) meal", hot or cold appetizers
Primo	"first course", usually consists of a hot dish like pasta, risotto, gnocchi, or soup.
Secondo	"second course", the main dish, usually fish or meat. Traditionally veal, pork and chicken are most commonly used, at least in the North, though beef has become more popular since World War II and wild game is found, particularly in Tuscany. Fish are generally caught locally.
Contorno	"side dish", may be a salad or cooked vegetables. A traditional menu features salad along with the main course.
Formaggio e frutta	"cheese and fruits", the first dessert. Local cheeses may be part of the Antipasto or Contornoas well.
Dolce	"sweet", such as cakes and cookies
Caffè	coffee
Digestivo	"digestives", liquors/liqueurs (grappa, amaro, limoncello, sambuca, nocino, sometimes referred to as ammazzacaffè, "coffee killer")

    (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cuisine#Meal_structure)

Within each region that we visit I will cook a primo and a secondo course to experience more closely the tradition of food there.

Our primo course from the Piedmont region is an asparagus and mozzarella bake.  Very cheesy and vegetarian.  This recipes makes quite a lot.  To serve as a true primo, I would recommend serving it in individual tapas-style dishes for individuals at the table.

Let's start with the ingredients.  I bought two bundles of asparagus because I love it.  Having more of it in the recipes supports the layers better.  I used tinned tomatoes but, as you will read later, these were too watery and I would consider using fresh ones next time.

To prepare the asparagus I use a trick my mum taught me.  If you bend the asparagus it will naturally break at the point where the stalk gets too tough (this is the bit we don't want to eat).

I cooked the asparagus in unsalted water and sprinkled a very small amount of olive oil over them once drained.  You could use spray oil if you prefer.    Instead of buttering the tray, I sprayed with my low-cal spray oil and then laid the asparagus in so they were in lines next to each other.

When layering the ingredients, I tore the basil over the mozzarella and seasoned with pepper but no salt.  I chopped the tomatoes and poured these over but on reflection, I wish I'd drained them first as the finished dish was too watery.  If cooking this again I would definitely use fresh tomatoes instead.  To reduce the amount of fat in this dish I didn't add any parmesan in the middle as suggested. The second layer of asparagus lay the other way, 90 degrees from the bottom layer to add support to the dish and make is easier to cut later.  I finished the dish with a sprinkling of parmesan, no where near the amount the recipe suggested and popped into the oven.

I cooked mine for 30 minutes instead of 20 as the cheese wasn't as browned as I like.  This dish has the most wonderfully rich smell.  Really mouth-watering, especially if you like cheese.  Great served with bread for dipping into the melted cheese.  Serve piping hot at the table, a real dinner party treat for starters.

Buon appetito!