Asparagus Salad with Peas and vinaigrette
I love, love, love asparagus season. We usually make two 5kg orders of delicious white asparagus from a farm in the south of Germany every year, one in May and one in June. With such an abundance of asparagus, I have to get creative with ways to prepare it.
This asparagus salad with peas and vinaigrette is a perfect and easy lunch or dinner for late spring. It’s so light and fresh, especially if you add freshly plucked herbs from the garden. So, depending on what our raised beds and pots on the patio offer, I like to add mint, nasturtium leaves, parsley and chives. I also added some fresh garlic alongside a spring onion which gave the salad a bit of depth. You can use white or green asparagus or a mix of both – cooks’ choice!
Serve this asparagus salad as a side or starter. I believe it would go very well with grilled meats. But I also like to add soft-boiled eggs to make it a standalone dish for lunch or a light weekday dinner.
Ingredients
Makes enough for two hungry people if you eat this as a main, or for three to four people if you serve it as a starter or side.
Some salad leaves
1kg white asparagus
250 g green peas
2tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp olive oil
Pepper & salt
Fresh leaves and herbs
1 small onion – or spring onion
Half a bulb of fresh garlic (optional)
Method
Wash and pluck some crunchy salad leaves. Peel the asparagus, trim off the wood ends, cut it into bite-sized pieces. Cook until al dente in some water with a slice of lemon and a bit of salt. In another pot, cook or unfreeze peas, depending on what kind you use. Let both vegetables cool off before serving.
In the meantime, prepare a vinaigrette: mix 2 tbsp white vinegar, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard and some salt. Slowly add 6 tbsp olive oil, keep stirring while you do stirring. Season with pepper. Now add trimmings of your choice to the vinaigrette. I used a small white onion, half a shallot, half a bulb of fresh garlic, some fresh parsley, chives, nasturtium leaves and mint.
In a bowl mix the asparagus, peas and vinaigrette.
Layer the leaves onto plates and add the asparagus-pea mix. Serve and enjoy.
