Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Scallion and Asparagus Salad



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely dish has been adapted from one that appeared in The Italian Family Table by Lidia Bastianich. I've had really good luck with her recipes and this one is no exception. This salad can be served as an antipasto, a first course or as a side dish. It's perfect for spring and early summer meals when local asparagus is plentiful and cheap. While the dish has only five ingredients, the recipe is a bit more involved than most of this kind. Asparagus is peeled before being simmered with scallions. The scallions flavor the braising liquid and become mellow as they cook. Once drained the dish is dressed with oil and vinegar and briefly chilled before a final toss to incorporate the hard boiled eggs. There are only two things that can spoil this lovely dish and since I've done both of them, I thought I'd alert you to the potential pitfalls. Don't overcook the asparagus. Count cooking time from the point at which the water returns to a boil. Six minutes will usually do it for both the asparagus and scallions. Immediately rinse the vegetables in cold water or place them in a cold water bath to stop the cooking. Make sure the vegetables are well drained and have been patted dry before drizzling with oil and vinegar. This salad should be assemble no more than an hour before serving. It will get "goopy" if it sits to long after being tossed. All that being said, this is a wonderful and uncommon little salad. I hope you'll try it. Here's the recipe.

Scallion and Asparagus Salad
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Lidia Bastianich

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
3/4 pound scallions
3-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, or more if needed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

Directions:
1) Snap off hard stalks at bottom of asparagus spears. To assure even cooking, use a vegetable peeler to shave off skin from bottom 3 inches or so of each asparagus stalk.
2) Trim away root end of each scallion as well as wilted ends of green leaves. Peel off loose layers of bulb, so scallions are all tight, trim, and about 6 inches long.
3) Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a deep wide skillet. Add asparagus and scallions. Adjust heat to maintain a bubbling boil, and poach asparagus and scallions, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, or until they are tender but not falling apart, and cooked through but not mushy. Remove cooked vegetables to a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain, spread on paper toweling and pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4) Cut the asparagus and scallions into 1-inch lengths and gently put them into a mixing bowl. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss very gently.
5) Quarter cooked eggs into wedges, and slice each wedge into two or three pieces; salt lightly and fold into vegetables. Adjust seasoning to taste. Chill briefly. Arrange on a serving platter or individual salad plates. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Asparagus and White Bean Salad - One Perfect Bite
Penne with Asparagus and Lemon Sauce - One Perfect Bite
Asparagus Soup - One Perfect Bite

52 comments :

Sarah B. said...

looks delicious!!! I will definitely be making this soon! I love asparagus :)

Nisha said...

Looks really healthy

Jeannie said...

Another lovely asparagus dish! Sigh! wish they are cheaper so I can try out your recipes.

Cherine said...

A great refreshing salad!

3 hungry tummies said...

I see spring and I feel spring and I am looking forward to spring :)
Have a nice day Mary!

Priya Suresh said...

Very refreshing and catchy salad..

natalia said...

Your salad is great ! I'll make it with the asparagous that are just waiting on my counter !

Anonymous said...

This looks good and sounds really simple to do!

Diane said...

This looks brilliant, another use for my home grown asparagus. Thanks Mary. Have a good day.

Allie and Pattie said...

Mary, Lidia is a favorite of mine among cookbook authors. I, too, have found her recipes to be reliable and generally quite authentic Lovely salad!
xoxo Pattie

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I have loked for a Spring sald using asparagus. This allows it to be the star of the show.

Sinful Southern Sweets said...

I can tell this will become a staple in my house. Lovely combination!

Salsa Verde said...

Fantastic and healthy salad!!
Love,
Lia.

Unknown said...

A very nice dish Mary. I like the addition of the hard boiled eggs. Have a nice day. Michael

Carol at Serendipity said...

Mary,

Lovely salad! I may try it this weekend. Hard boiled egg must almost give the feeling of Hollandaise.

Carol

Julie said...

This looks lovely! I love Lidia and her recipes! Her restaurant in Kansas City is one my favorites.

FOODESSA said...

Mary...do you have a small restaurant we don't know about? You seem to be flying in that kitchen of yours. How many mouths are you feeding? Always with great recipes to share...and this one is no exception ;o)
Flavourful wishes, Claudia

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Can't go wrong with Lidia's recipes. Beautifully photographed as always.

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

This looks pretty! I love the egg in this! Thanks!

My Little Space said...

This salad sounds eimply delicious, Mary! Hoping there's a bowl of this right infront of me at this moment! =o) Yumm....
Have a great day!
Cheers, Kristy

Rachana said...

Such a healthy and refreshing Salad!

Pecados da mesa said...

Olá amiga (friend);

Hummmmm delicia!!!
Eu amo aspargos!!!
I love asparagus!!!
Beijo!

Maria Paula-BRASIL-

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Mary, I'm constantly on the lookout for more asparagus recipes. It's one of our favorite vegetables. I'm bookmarking this. It's gorgeous with the hard boiled eggs and scallions.
Sam

lily's wai sek hong said...

mary

I love asparagus and they are so healthy.

I have always admired your pictures and wish i can take pictures half as good as yours. Need to have some lessons or tips from you

Adventures in Domestic Cooking said...

Looks delicious!!

Unknown said...

Never heard of this combination before, I bet very yummy.

Kat said...

A great salad. I love asparagus.

Monet said...

I'm loving all these asparagus dishes. I need to get my hands on some fresh stalks. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

FoodontheTable said...

What a great combination - asparagus and hard boiled eggs. Yummy!

Rita said...

We are asparagus lovers and you just showed me a new way to serve it; thank you!
Rita

pam said...

Darn, asparagus season has just ended around here!

Judy said...

I like Lidia also, she's fun to watch on tv. Some of her recipes are very similar to my hubby's family recipes.

Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul said...

Looks sooo good!

Carmen

Tina said...

Healthy, flavorful...that's my kinda side dish!

Cooking with Kait said...

No one wants a "goopy" salad. :) Thanks you for sharing this unique salad. What a wonderful way to celebrate this seasonal ingredient.

PranisKitchen said...

like the combination asparagus and scallions..really healthy one.

Jhonny walker said...

nice, summary and healthy!

Katie@Cozydelicious said...

This looks so fresh and yummy! Perfect summer food!

Joanne said...

I love Lidia's recipes! She is an Italian genius. This salad looks simple and delicious, the way a good salad should be!

The Blonde Duck said...

Totally buying asparagus this weekend now.

Ana Powell said...

Another lovely salad and awesome photo ♥

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Light and healthy, perfect for summer!

Jen_from_NJ said...

I have both fresh asparagus and scallions from my CSA box - I am so happy! Thank you for sharing this Mary - I love Lidia's recipes!

Bonnie said...

This looks delicious. So light and refreshing. This is perfect for those hot summer days.

pigpigscorner said...

Looks so refreshing! I like the addition of scallions.

The Words Crafter said...

Ooooo, this looks very tasty!

Eliana said...

Love the bright green color of your asparagus :) Looks delicious.

Gloria Baker said...

I love this asparagus salad look delicious!! gloria

Kim said...

I'm so glad to hear that you've had great luck with Lidia's recipes. I have one of her books but haven't had the chance to try anything from it yet. This salad looks perfectly delicious.

tasteofbeirut said...

This salad has all the ingredients required to be delicious! Love that egg and asparagus combo, timeless classic.

Diana's Cocina said...

I have missed your posting's for the past month. So glad I'm back to see your delicious salad's! Nicely done.

Magdalena said...

Asparagus and hard boiled eggs go so well. No need to complicate this salad - your ingredients are just fine; here, the asparagus season is finished. All good to you, Mary.

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