Asparagus Salad

  

I keep making this salad. It has become a metaphor for loving being in the kitchen: flavors and aromas, fresh ingredients, nourishment, anticipation, pleasant surprise. I began making it when it still seemed safe to go somewhere without social distancing or wearing a mask, and I found some of the best asparagus I’ve ever eaten at Trader Joe’s on my way back from a short vacation. It started out as a recipe fantasy in Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden, and, now that really great asparagus is in my farmer’s market, it has become a way of life.

Six Seasons is a big, bold, flavor-promoting recipe collection. It celebrates the absolute sacredness of freshness and seasonality in produce, but also boosts everything with multiple layers of enhancing flavors – sometimes lots of them, often in combinations that I’m not sure about, always at least one more that I ever thought anyone would slip in. McFadden may be a sorcerer.

 

I have to admit that I’ve been intimidated by this kind of cooking. I don’t really have simple taste, but I do have a “simple” budget and not a lot of time. I would page through this type of cookbook, dreaming and drooling, but ultimately getting a little discouraged by ingredient lists that looked hard to acquire, a little weird, or just plain exhausting.

I set aside plenty of time to work on this recipe the first time I made it. I properly sliced the raw asparagus. I combined the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, walnuts, chile, black pepper, and lemon zest. And then I sniffed the bowl. I’m not sure what made me do it, but there was no going back. There will never be any going back. The fragrance of lemon and toasted nuts, the vaporous umami of the Parmesan (I mean, who knew it was safe to smell cheese?) along with toastiness from the whole grain, homemade breadcrumbs and punches of spice from the chile and black pepper – Alchemy. A whole greater than the sum of its parts. I can’t say enough.

 

The lesson of this dish is that bold layers of big flavor, properly and appropriately applied, can even further enhance already great, fresh ingredients, creating something magically spectacular. This salad is also a full celebration of what it means to enjoy food. It’s a pleasure to make with its meditative slicing and wonderful fragrances. And it’s so incredibly, wonderfully, super-naturally delicious. This is what we food-lovers step into the kitchen for.

I’m going to keep making this salad.

Asparagus Salad with Walnuts, Breadcrumbs, and Herbs

Adapted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

There’s lots of room to adjust seasonings, oil, and lemon to taste in this recipe. Taste as you go and make it your own. It is best while the breadcrumbs are still crisp, but it’s still great once they’ve softened having soaked up lemon and olive oil.

1/3 cup breadcrumbs, preferably coarse, crunchy, and whole grain

½ cup freshly shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped

Grated zest of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste

About ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste

1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

¼ cup fresh mint or parsley leaves, or a combination

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or a good quality lemon-infused olive oil, plus more to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, walnuts or pecans, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Toss them together, and then STOP. Put your face over the bowl and sniff. Sniff a few more times. Inhale. That’s what you’re here for!

2. Thinly slice the asparagus on a sharp angle. Add to the mixture in the bowl.

3. Pour in the lemon juice and add the mint and/or parsley. Toss everything together. You can taste at this point for salt, spice, and lemon and adjust as you please.

4. Pour over the olive oil and toss everything together. Taste again and adjust as needed.

5. Make this dish multiple times and try out different ratios of salt, oil, lemon and herbs. Make I again and again until it is your own, or until asparagus is out of season in your area.

Makes 4-6 side-dish servings (Although I’m perfectly satisfied to have it as a main dish.)

Other recipes like this one: Fresh Peas and Mint; Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Asparagus and Pea; Apple Salad with Lime Juice, Walnuts, and Cheese

One Year Ago: Strawberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

Cauliflower, Corn, and Cucumber Salad

 

It really isn’t necessary to follow a recipe for a big chopped summer salad. Whatever is ripe in the garden or looks good at the farmer’s market has the power go into a bowl with a simple dressing and make your day. That being said, hear me out about a particularly satisfying crunchy combination.

This approximate recipe was out in cyberspace at valentinascorner.com, and I was intrigued. It turns out that the three different textures of crunchy raw cauliflower florets, crisp fresh cucumbers, and chewy grilled kernels of corn really make a uniquely lovely salad for the peak of summer. I liked the cauliflower chopped into small, bite-size pieces, and the cucumbers sliced thin. The corn kind of fills in the gaps between the other vegetables and balances their flavors with its sweeter starchiness. And then there’s a bit of red bell pepper for more flavor and color.

I dressed this salad rather simply, with a mixture of mayonnaise and buttermilk. It pulls the salad ingredients together and makes them a bit saucy, without overwhelming their high summer textures and flavors. Since there are only two ingredients in the dressing, if you decide you want to add or subtract from the volume of your salad based on what’s available – always a good idea when freshness is at hand – you can adjust your dressing quite easily as well.

As I implied above, just about any lovely fresh vegetables you have on hand can make a nice chopped salad like this one. Don’t let this ingredient list limit you, especially if you have a garden or a good local farmer’s market. You also could put in whatever herbs you prefer. I used thyme, just because I felt I’d been neglecting my homegrown pot of it lately, but dill would be very good, as would basil, and perhaps tarragon.

Probably the biggest surprise in this recipe is the way the corn filled a niche and contributed so well to the mix. I was especially excited because on my social media pages, I’ve declared fresh corn to be the Ingredient of the Week! Long live fresh corn! Purchased closed to the source, if you please.

Cauliflower, Corn, and Cucumber Salad

Adapted from valentinascorner.com

The amounts and ratios of the vegetables in this salad are not important. Adjust everything to taste and availability of ingredients.

You can peel the cucumbers if you want. I don't usually bother with fresh cucumbers this time of year.

3 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed

½ medium-size head of cauliflower, cut int small florets, about 2 cups

2 medium-size cucumbers, halved and thinly sliced

½ large red bell pepper, finely chopped

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill. Grill the ears of corn, turning occasionally, until they are lightly charred on all sides, and the corn is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the grill and cool until it is easy to handle.

2. Cut the corn off the cob and place in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and buttermilk. Pour over the vegetable mixture and stir well to coat. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Chopped Vegetable Salad; Crunchy Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Apple Salad

One year ago: Mocha Sorbet

Broccoli Salad with Peanut Dressing

April has not been good for blogging. The Day Job will eventually destroy me, and this month was a clear reminder of that. I will spare you the boring details.

You know what’s not boring, though? Spicy peanut dressing! Pour it over some blanched broccoli and edamame enhanced with green onion and topped with peanuts and you have a rather satisfying lunch.

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest. I wasn’t sure I needed to blanche the broccoli, but, since each bite of this salad is mainly broccoli, it certainly does make it easier to eat. Blanched broccoli also has a texture more compatible with the slightly chewy edamame. You could add other vegetables to this salad, too, such as bell peppers, sugar snap peas, or green beans, and if you want it all very crunchy, you could probably forgo blanching.

I really love the peanut dressing for this salad, which is thick and savory and sweetened with a bit of honey. I roughly doubled the volume of dressing from the original recipe, and added some Sriracha for heat. I kept the spice moderate, but you could certainly adjust to your personal taste. (But, really, spicy is better, right?)

We (two of us) ate this whole batch of salad for lunch, but if you want to serve it as a side dish, you could get more like four servings out of it. You could also probably double the recipe, though you may want to blanche the broccoli in two batches if you do. And doubling this recipe might just be a good idea, so you can either keep eating it or save some leftovers for later. Actually, I don’t know if this salad keeps well or not. We devoured consumed it all immediately. I guess I’ll have to make some more to find out. Perhaps a double batch.

Broccoli and Edamame Salad with Peanut Dressing

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

You can replace the honey in the dressing with agave nectar or maple syrup to make it vegan.

4 cups small broccoli florets

1 cup frozen edamame

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil (or sesame oil)

2 teaspoons Sriracha (or other hot sauce), or to taste

½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

2. When the water is boiling, add the broccoli. Boil for 2 minutes. Add the edamame. Cook for about 30-45 seconds more. Remove the blanched broccoli and edamame from the boiling water with a skimmer or slotted spoon. Plunge into the ice water to stop cooking. Allow to stand in the ice water until cooled. Drain very well.

3. To make the dressing, combined the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, peanut oil, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Whisk until very smooth. Pour the dressing over the drained broccoli and edamame and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.

Makes about 4 side dish servings or 2 big main dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Peanutty Noodles, Broccoli with Sweet and Spicy Almond Sauce, Sweet and Tart Broccoli Salad, Broccoli and Chickpea Salad with Mustard Pepper Dressing