Asparagus Spears in a Pig Blanket

Have you ever started to gather the ingredients for a recipe and the grocery store was out of everything that is on  your list?  Well, that happened to the original recipe that I wanted to make.  The recipe called for turkey bacon and large, thick stalked asparagus.

On this particular occasion the grocery store was out of turkey bacon, due to a sale. Ugh! I needed some bacon for this recipe and I didn't want to drive to another store just for turkey bacon, so I gave in and grabbed a cheap package of thinly sliced pork bacon. I am not a huge fan of bacon. I like it okay, but I'd rather have turkey sausage or turkey bacon --it's better for healthy eating...oh, well.

The Asparagus was on sale too but not the good thick kind but some that was scrawny and pencil thin. This recipe was beginning to look like a bust but I bought the sad looking asparagus anyway.

Now, the original recipe called for a single beefy stalk of asparagus wrapped with a single slice of turkey bacon and baked in an oven until the bacon was crisp and the asparagus was tender. Well, it wasn't going to happen this time...I had to improvise.

So, I decided to cook these in a skillet, on the stove top, and bundle several asparagus together so that they would mimic a thick stalk...this might just work!
Yep! Success!  They were absolutely scrumptious! (Angels are singing!)

So without further adieu...

Asparagus Spears Wrapped in a Pig Blanket

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of Asparagus - the scrawny, thin, cheap, out-of-season kind
• 1 lb package of thinly sliced bacon - the cheap store brand, that was on sale is what I used.
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3 Tablespoons of REAL maple syrup ( I don't know if you could use the corn syrup, imitation pancake stuff?)
• 1 Tablespoon real butter (don't even think of using the waxy imitation margarine! Besides, you are already using real, artery clogging bacon...really!)

Additional Supplies:

• Large non-stick skillet
• Cutting board
• Sharp chopping knife
• Flat metal lid - smaller than the actual skillet. (This prevents bacon splatter from getting all over the stove top and won't steam the food...it allows the steam to escape).
• Tongs
• Heavy Pyrex measuring cup -to collect the grease from the cooked bacon.
• Wet cloth - wiping off the outside of the frying pan after pouring off excess grease.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash the asparagus. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. On the cutting board, using the sharp knife, cut off the woody, tough bottoms of the asparagus (to see where to cut, pick up one stalk and bend it until it snaps in half. That is where to cut all the other asparagus in the bunch). Discard the bottoms.
3. Heat the non-stick skillet to medium temperature. While it is heating up, wrap the asparagus.
4. Gather up 3 thin stalks. Tightly wrap 1 thin slice of bacon around all three stalks. (No need to secure the bacon.) Do this until all the stalks are used up. Three stalks to one slice of bacon.
5. Lay all the wrapped asparagus in the hot skillet and sprinkle with the salt.
6. Turn up the heat to medium-high and cover with the flat lid. 
7. Allow the bacon to sizzle and cook until it is a dark crispy color. 
8. Turn them over to cook all sides.
9. Hold the lid over the asparagus and drain off the grease so the bacon will crisp up faster and not cook in all the fat drippings. CAREFULLY!!!! with the wet cloth, wipe off any drips and continue to cook.
10. When the last side of bacon is cooking add in the butter and maple syrup. Stir and when it thickens, remove the wrapped asparagus's. 

Serve hot! SO SCRUMPTIOUS!