Espárragos con Jamón Serrano - Simple!

So to celebrate World Tapas Day on June 16th, I want to share with you one of the quickest, simplest and yet most delicious tapas you can make yourself at home! Only two ingredients and one pan needed, and it takes not more than ten minutes from start to finish!

In Spain they love asparagus, and will often serve the tinned white asparagus with salads, as well as enjoying the fresh green spears when they are available. It is currently in season here and as a result is available (and on offer) in all the supermarkets at the moment. I love it, with so many dishes, but this one for me sums up what tapas is all about: being able to create a simple and tasty dish with very few ingredients in very little time!

Ingredientes (Serves 4 as a tapa)       

• A bunch (at least 12 spears) of fresh, green asparagus (woody ends removed)
• Thinly sliced Jamón Serrano (a 100g packet will be plenty)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• Black pepper to season

Metódo

1. Wrap each asparagus spear with a slice (or half if they are big) of Jamón Serrano.
2. Heat a non stick frying pan until fairly hot, add the olive oil, and carefully place your wrapped spears into the pan, 5 or 6 at a time so they have room to move in the pan and are not on top of one another.
3. Fry for a couple of minutes each side until the ham is crisp and the asparagus starts to char and change colour to a darker green (they will still have crunch but that is the joy in my opinion!)
4. Remove to a warmed serving platter and repeat with the remaining spears until all are done.
5. Grind a little black pepper over the spears and serve warm, ¡disfrútalo! (Enjoy!)