Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Herbed Asparagus Salad





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If I wait another week they'll be giving asparagus away. I promise this will be the last recipe I post for it this season, but, with prices so low, I really had to try this lovely and easy to assemble salad from Bon Appetit magazine. This is the type of dish I would normally not dream of making, but when asparagus is this cheap and abundant, there is no reason not to experiment. I can safely say no harm, no foul has been done to the family food budget. The salad was a big hit with the folks at my table this past weekend and I have no reservations about sharing it with you. The components of the salad can be made a day ahead of serving, though they should not be combined until you are ready to plate the various elements for service. The asparagus tends to get slimy and just plain unpleasant if dressed too far in advance of eating. More often than not, the ingredients for this salad are tossed together. I prefer to serve mine as a composed salad. The choice is yours. I know those of you who opt to make this salad will really enjoy it. There is nothing here not to love. Here's the recipe.

Herbed Asparagus Salad with Scallions and Cucumbers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients:
Dressing
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
3 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
4 cups thinly sliced green onions
3 cups 1/4-inch cubes peeled seeded Kirby or English hothouse cucumbers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

Directions:
1) To make dressing: Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.
2) To make salad: Fill large bowl with lightly salted ice water; stir until salt dissolves. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups cooking liquid. Transfer asparagus to bowl of salted ice water to cool. Place green onions in another large bowl; pour hot reserved asparagus cooking liquid over onions and let stand until cool, about 30 minutes. Drain asparagus and green onions well. Transfer onions to clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Combine green onions, cucumbers, and herbs in mixing bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange asparagus on platter. Spoon cucumber mixture over and serve. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.






One Year Ago Today:
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Two Years Ago Today: Blackberry Cobbler








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White Asparagus Panna Cotta - Almond Corner
Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Egg - Coconut and Lime
Asparagus Risotto - Vegalicious Recipes

57 comments :

Jeannie said...

That asparagus salad of yours looks absolutely refreshing! Wonderful mixture of herbs!

Wendy Irene said...

That pictures makes me so happy! Love how the chalkboard is in an old worn frame. Beautiful! Have a great day Mary :)

Sunanda said...

Salad looks so refreshing and cool.. Nice presentation as well..

Pondside said...

We love asparagus and soon it will be a bargain up here too. I think that one of life's luxuries is asparagus soup!

Aldy said...

Gorgeous-delicious looking asparagus! I’m loving your green salad :) this sounds absolutely wonderful, Mary!

Hugs,

Aldy.

Julia said...

You can keep posting the asparagus recipes for as long as you like for me, Mary. We love it in our house. We can only get the wild asparagus in this part of Turkey but it's still nice.

cocoa and coconut said...

I don't use asparagus enough! I'm glad to have some new recipes that use it, thanks to you. This salad looks great and healthy. Thanks Mary!

Anonymous said...

I am so jealous! Please keep on posting these recipes, it gives me some inspiration for when we get to enjoy asparagus again. Have a super day Mary :)

Maris(In Good Taste) said...

Love how the scallions & cucumbers add a bit of crunch!

Diane said...

Our asparagus is over now but I will make a not of this for next year. Take care. Diane

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

The different shades of green or beautiful! I would always return to your asparagus restaurant. How do you get such uniform stalks?

Blog is the New Black said...

The colors are gorgeous! I'm always looking for new ways to eat asparagus!

Clint said...

Thank you for posting this. I love asparagus. It makes me happy steamed, roasted or pickled. Your recipe looks wonderful.

Red Nomad OZ said...

Having been brought up with tinned asparagus, I've been a bit ambivalent towards it as an adult! But ... when it looks this good, it's worth a try!

Alessandra said...

Keep posting asparagus Mary, even if I cannot eat them now I like to see the recipes! Actually, they have been selling some US asparagus here in NZ, but I only buy produce out of season if really really necessary.

Ciao
Alessandra

Lori said...

Since I love asparagus- I thoroughly enjoy anything with asparagus. Our local asparagus is just starting to come in.

A Bitchin' Kitchen said...

This looks so flavorful and fresh! I always prepare vegetable sides in such boring ways - I will have to remember this the next time I buy asparagus!

- Maggie

Martha said...

I love asparagus salads -- alas, asparagus season is no longer here -- I missed it entirely but I did get to eat a lot of really great English asparagus!

safire said...

I've been wanting to make shaved asparagus salad for a while. The price on those beautiful asparagus is amazing! My grocery store is selling them for $3/lb.

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

I have such bad luck making asparagus, you have inspired me to try it again! I always seen to ruin it... this may be the one for us!~

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Definitely plenty to love about this dish Mary.

The Blonde Duck said...

I love the chalkboard! And the salad, of course!

From the Kitchen said...

There simply cannot be too many recipes for asparagus. Ours is very cheap right now and I come home with so much of it that I scratch my head and wonder how we'll eat it all. We do! I'll be adding your salad minus the fresh chervil. I can't find it in the market or the nursery this year. Is there a chervil shortage?

Best,
Bonnie

Rita said...

I would eat asparagus year round if I could. What an attracive presentation and a must try.
Rita

Cooking Creation said...

Asparagus is my favorite and I could never get tired of seeing another wonderful recipe from you that includes it. This looks so healthy and delicious! Thanks for sharing :)

The Harried Cook said...

I love asparagus and your salad looks fantastic! I wish we got asparagus cheap where I live. We have a to pay a LOT for fresh asparagus... Love that old fashioned blackboard, too! Thanks for the recipe, Mary!

Jenna Lee said...

I have always loved asparagus and all veggies. They are so delicious. I could at a salad without dressing any day. YUMM

Unknown said...

I would probably loose my brains if I saw asparagus for $1.39 a pound, wow! This salad is just beautiful and sounds delish! Thanks Mary!

Emily Malloy said...

I have asparagus on the brain, too! This looks beautiful

Anonymous said...

This asparagus looks simply fantastic. Great recipe!

Lucie said...

I hardly ever say no to asparagus, especially when it's fresh and vibrant with a bit of a crunch. This sounds perfect!

Guvi said...

You'll make me get on a plane and come buy asparagus from there, at my local grocery the price is $4,99/lb now... The salad looks delicious, very refreshing! Thank you for the wonderful pictures and have a great day, Mary!

CkretsGalore said...

Looks lovely!
I wish Asparagus was cheap up here in the Canadian Prairie lands but it's always pricey.

Rebecka said...

Hi Mary, Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such a lovely comment! I'm honored by your kindness especially after perusing your blog! Your photos and recipes are simply delicious. You are a consummate professional! I'll definitely be back to glean what I can from your presentation and food wisdom!

Lauren Hairston said...

This looks great! Both my husband and I adore asparagus, so we've been really excited at the availability of it this season. In my opinion, you could never post too many asparagus recipes!

June said...

Gorgeous salad Mary. I love the herb selection too. It must taste as fabulous as it looks!

Renee Paj said...

Love asparagus....and one can never have enough salad recipes for the summer as far as I am concerned! Thanks Mary!

lena said...

i believe this is another great asparagus recipe..crunchy and light!

Paula @ Dishing the Divine said...

Asparagus is still expensive here. In fact, I think it's getting *more* expensive. Oh, well... that just means that we're on to other things! :)

That Girl said...

I think that you can't get better than fresh produce posts! Especially in the summer.

Catherine said...

Sound wonderful and fresh Mary. I know I would enjoy it. Blessings, Catherine

The Single Nester said...

I really do love asparagus. All ways and now I have a new way :)

Joanne said...

I don't think asparagus EVER gets that cheap here! I might have to make this salad anyway. Looks delicious!

We Are Not Martha said...

I love simple, fresh deliciousness like this... And I LOVE when asparagus goes on sale :)

Sues

Priya Suresh said...

Wonderful salad, lovely presentation..feel like finishing that platter..

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Lovely yummy salad...great presentation...

Pity said...

i love the simplicity of the dish and the wonder that asparagus make in our bodies, delicious salad! cheers from london

Ginny Hartzler said...

How fresh looking! My best friend found out that asparagus can help prevent cancer, and she is eating tons of it every day!! So much that one night, she got asparagus poisoning!

Juliana said...

Beautiful picture of the salad, love the chopped herbs on it. Simple and yet SO SO tasty.
Have a wonderful week ahead Mary :-)

Unknown said...

I'm jealous of all the asparagus you have access to. Great looking salad.

Claudia said...

The price of asparagus have finally gone down here (end of season?) and I will play with this - using the herbs that I actually have in my garden (love this season, love it!). And am happy to get past my daily lettuce salads...

Swathi said...

I can't blame you, if you get asparagus for this cheap, you are going to buy them and making delicious dishes with them. salad looks fabulous.

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

Haha, it doesn't have to be the last one! ;-) But I never seen anyone who has asparagus recipes as much as you do! It's so cool. This one seems very light and healthy choice. I love asparagus!

Foodiewife said...

Please post all the asparagus recipes you desire. I never tire of eating them in soups, salads, roasted, grilled. I love them all. This is a beautiful salad!

My Little Space said...

mary, I just started my pickling project 2 months ago. I am learning more & more these days. It was great. I will be able to enjoy them one of this day. However, this is the first time I've ever heard of pickled asparagus. That must be so interesting. See, if I have more jars for more pickling stuffs. haha.... Thanks for sharing. Have a lovely day.
Cheers, Kristy

Elaine said...

With the herbs and dressing, this looks like such a delicious alternative to my usual roasted and steamed asparagus.

NoPotCooking said...

I'm in need a new asparagus recipe and am going to try this one.

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