Phyllo-Wrapped Asparagus with Sesame-Peanut Dipping Sauce

1. Wash the asparagus stalks and trim off the tough bottom ends (not the end with the little buds!). After I trimmed the tough end, my stalks were about 6 inches long. Lay them out in a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over them. Cover with foil and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the peanut sauce (peanut butter, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 1.5 teaspoons of sesame oil, and red pepper flakes — everything except the water) and whisk together. Add the water one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each until the sauce has reached the consistency that you want (you may need more or less water). Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap or tin foil and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

4. On a clean, dry surface, lay out one sheet of the phyllo dough. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Brush the butter mixture onto the phyllo sheet and lay another sheet on top, pressing the 2 together. Cut the dough into strips that are wide enough to cover most of the asparagus, while leaving the buds poking out (so if you’ve cut your asparagus to 6″ pieces like I did, cut the phyllo into strips about 5″ tall).

5. Wrap two stalks of asparagus in each strip of phyllo and place them on a baking sheet that you’ve lined with parchment paper, with the seam of the phyllo dough on the bottom. Brush the top again with more butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the phyllo is becoming golden brown. Serve warm with the peanut dipping sauce

Notes:
*I used a store-bought ginger flavored marinade that I already had in the fridge, but you can make your own!

*The number of sheets of phyllo dough will vary depending on the size of the sheets. Mine were huge but I’ve seen them come in smaller packages.