Asparagus in Phyllo Appetizers

Asparagus Appetizers in Phyllo Dough

makes about 20

You can either use one fat asparagus spear or two thin ones.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus (I had 42 thin spears in my bunch), washed and dried

1 roll thawed phyllo sheets

4 tablespoons of butter, melted

¼ cup good mustard (we love Mike's Mustard from Michigan)

salt (the salt is optional - omit if you are using a salty cheese)

freshly ground pepper (I actually like to use Montreal Steak Seasoning)

4 tablespoons Asiago Cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you like)

Instructions:

Trim the tough ends off the asparagus spears.

Unroll the thawed phyllo sheet roll on your counter and place a couple of damp paper towels over the top so they don't dry out.

On a large cutting board, place two of the phyllo sheets (if you accidentally grab three sheets, and can't get them apart, don't worry about it. It won't matter. Also - if you rip a hole in one of the sheets, it won't matter either. It all just gets rolled up and you will never tell.) Brush some melted butter over the entire top sheet. Brush some of the mustard on the sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt (if you are using) and the pepper. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the cheese all over the sheet.

With a very sharp paring knife, cut the sheet in half. Cut each half in half. Place two asparagus spears on each piece of phyllo and roll up. Place on a parchment (or foil) lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with some melted butter and sprinkle additional seasoning on top.

Repeat until all your asparagus is used. You can refreeze any unused phyllo sheets if you want, as long as you haven't let them dry out. Just roll up with plastic wrap and seal tightly.

At this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and place the baking sheets in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. You can even assembble these the day before. When you are ready to cook them, bake them in the oven at 375° F for about 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown (rotate pans halfway through if you don't have a convection oven).

Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve extra mustard on the side for dipping if you want.

The Italian Dish

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