Bright, earthy asparagus salad to kick off your Spring
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Ah, asparagus!
Isn't asparagus just the surest sign that spring has finally sprung and that you're headed toward a bright future?
OK, maybe I get a little excited about asparagus, but it's one of my favorite vegetables. I eat it for breakfast (with eggs and cheese), lunch (in a crustless quiche or soup), dinner (like we're about to make here), and even snacks (little pizza like squares...we'll do that one soon...remind me!). The only way I haven't enjoyed it is as a dessert, but that's ok.
I was feeling my Italian roots when I came home from the store with a nice bunch of asparagus the other day. I feel like this is probably more Tuscan than my Sicilian, but it seemed pretty darned good -- plus there were some nice looking cherry tomatoes coming ripe on the plant on the front porch.
Asparagus is an oft-maligned vegetable by people who have never tasted it. But, seriously, asparagus is fresh and earthy.
Boiling them for only a couple minutes ensures that the asparagus will be cooked through, but still crisp. Asparagus should have a gentle crunch and be a beautiful bright green. Don't overcook them or they will become mushy.
This dish is Spring on a plate.
Ah, asparagus!
 |
Isn't asparagus just the surest sign that spring has finally sprung and that you're headed toward a bright future?
OK, maybe I get a little excited about asparagus, but it's one of my favorite vegetables. I eat it for breakfast (with eggs and cheese), lunch (in a crustless quiche or soup), dinner (like we're about to make here), and even snacks (little pizza like squares...we'll do that one soon...remind me!). The only way I haven't enjoyed it is as a dessert, but that's ok.
 |
Asparagus is an oft-maligned vegetable by people who have never tasted it. But, seriously, asparagus is fresh and earthy.
Boiling them for only a couple minutes ensures that the asparagus will be cooked through, but still crisp. Asparagus should have a gentle crunch and be a beautiful bright green. Don't overcook them or they will become mushy.
This dish is Spring on a plate.
Spring Asparagus Salad
Serves 3
- 1 1/2 pounds of fresh asparagus, woody parts trimmed off
- 1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons of pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
- Preheat the oven to 400º F.
- Put the asparagus, the tomatoes and the pine nuts in a pan and mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, the salt and the pepper.
- Toss to coat everything.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure that the asparagus is tender. When it's tender, it's done.
- Drizzle the lemon juice and the rest of the oil. Sprinkle the cheese and the lemon zest over the top.
- Toss and serve.
UPDATE:
If you manage to have leftovers of this meal, you can use them up at breakfast the next morning.
Really, all you need to do is add some scrambled eggs to the dish and sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese over the whole plate. That's the easiest way to do it. Poaching an egg would work as well.
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