Bacon-wrapped asparagus with baked feta and chilli honey

This is an interesting way of serving asparagus.  The asparagus spears are wrapped in bacon and roasted with feta.  They are served with chilli-spiked honey.  The dish is suggestive of Greece.  It makes an excellent starter or a light supper disk.  It also can be served as a tapas dish.

Preparation Time: 10 Mins

Cooking Time: 25 Mins

Total Time: 35 Mins

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

6 rashers          Bacon  - streaky, cut in half      

12 spears          Asparagus

 small bunch      Thyme      

200 gms           Feta cheese  - block   

                     Olive oil    

For the chilli-spiked honey

100 gms           Honey  - runny        

3                    Chillies  - red, hot, dried         

To serve

                     Bread  - crusty        

Method

To prepare the chilli-spiked honey…

Heat the honey so it has time to infuse.  Toast the chillies in a hot dry pan for a few minutes, then roughly chop them and add them to the pan with the honey.  Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

To cook the asparagus dish…

Heat an oven to 200°C.

Wrap half a bacon rasher around each spear of asparagus and put them into an oven dish.  Put the thyme in the centre and top with the block of feta, seasoned on the top and bottom with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle on a little olive oil.  Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the feta is golden.

Drizzle the hot honey over the feta and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Serve warm, spreading the feta over the asparagus spears.

Wine recommendations

An aromatic white wine.

Conventional

     Muscat d'Alsace

Interesting

     Côte Chalonnaise blanc

     Montlouis

     Quincy

     Txakoli de Getaria

Adventurous

     Fino Sherry