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.






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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Asparagus Pea and Saffron Risotto - A Feast for the Eyes
Asparagus Tart - Healthy and Gourmet
Shaved Asparagus Pizza - Annie's Eats
Asparagus Gratin - Closet Cooking
Cream of Asparagus Soup - Savoring Today
Asparagus and Gorgonzola Souffle - Guvi's
Braised White Asparagus and Leek Salad - FOODalogue
White Asparagus Panna Cotta - Almond Corner
Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Egg - Coconut and Lime
Asparagus Risotto - Vegalicious Recipes

Feta and Cucumber Dip

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Contact Noah. We really need the ark. We've had a day of heavy rain and what was to be a barbecue is now a buffet. We Oregonians are a hearty lot and normally a little rain doesn't phase us. I grill in January for heavens sake. However, when it rains this furiously it's impossible to keep the fire going and cooks, looking even briefly toward the heavens, have been known to drown. Factor in accidents caused by flatlanders attempting navigation of a muddy hillside and you have the makings of a disaster. The good news is that the guests and everything on the menu can be moved indoors. Better still is the knowledge that the drought that turned our valley brown is over. I have three hors d' oeuvres in the kitchen that you might enjoy. They're fast and easy and require no last minute fussing. We'll get to them all this week, but we'll concentrate on the feta cucumber dip today. You all know that an hors d' oeuvre is a small hand-held item that's served before and separate from a meal. An appetizer, which could actually be the same food, is the starting point, the first course, of a meal and is served at the table. The real difference between the two is the time at which they're served. While this is a Martha Stewart recipe, its origins are Italian and a recipe similar to this one appeared in The New York Times Cookbook decades ago. Here the cucumbers are grated rather than diced and heavy cream and feta cheese are added to yogurt to make a smooth and tangy dip for pita chips or crudites. Try to get thick Greek yogurt. If it's not available, drain the yogurt through a sieve to extract as much liquid as you can. The cucumbers, too, should be as dry as possible. While the dip can be made early in the day, it becomes watery if allowed to sit over night. Any leftover dip makes a marvelous low-fat salad dressing. Here's the recipe.


Feta and Cucumber Dip...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 medium cucumbers, peeled
Coarse salt
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt (16 ounces), preferably Greek
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint, plus 1 sprig for garnish
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Freshly ground pepper
Sliced Cucumbers for lining the bowl for lining bowl (optional)
Crudites, for serving

Directions:
1) Halve cucumbers, and scoop out seeds using a melon baller or small spoon. Grate cucumbers using large holes of a box greater. Transfer grated cucumbers to a colander; set over a bowl to drain. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt; let cucumber mixture stand 15 minutes to drain.
2) Rinse cucumbers; shake out excess liquid. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel; squeeze out as much liquid as possible. A potato ricer may also be used to extract liquid.
3) Stir together cucumbers, yogurt, feta, chopped mint, garlic, cream, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, transfer dip to a bowl lined with cucumber slices. Garnish dip with mint sprig if desired. Serve with pita chips or crudites. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.