Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

Choose thin to medium asparagus - thick spears don't cook evenly. Prosciutto should be sliced paper-thin so it crisps properly. Don't overlap the prosciutto or it won't get crispy. The lemon brightens all the flavors. These are best eaten immediately while prosciutto is still crispy.

Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus is a modern Italian-American appetizer that draws on two of Italy's proudest agricultural products: prosciutto crudo, the air-dried salt-cured ham produced in Parma and San Daniele with roots traceable to Roman times, and asparagus, which has been cultivated in the Mediterranean since antiquity. The ancient Romans prized asparagus highly — Emperor Augustus reportedly coined the phrase "faster than you can cook asparagus" (velocius quam asparagi coquuntur) to describe swift action, and Roman agricultural writers including Cato the Elder documented its cultivation in the 2nd century BCE. Italy remains one of the world's leading asparagus producers, with white asparagus from the Veneto particularly prized. The wrapping of vegetables in cured pork products is a preparation found throughout Italian cooking — prosciutto with melon is documented from the Renaissance, and the technique of wrapping lean vegetables in fat-rich cured meat to add richness and season through cooking is a practical Italian approach to flavor layering. High-heat roasting or grilling crisps the outer prosciutto while simultaneously seasoning the asparagus from the outside in — no additional salt is needed because the cured ham provides it. The appetizer became popular in American catering from the 1990s onward as Italian-inspired cooking established itself as the dominant direction of American fine casual dining.