Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

One of my favorite Spring vegetables is asparagus.  I usually prepare them on the grill, make Green Gazpacho cold soup or roast them in the oven.  And lately, I fall in love with eating them raw as in this Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.  They are shaved to ribbon thin and the acidic vinaigrette helps soften them a little.  So, the texture of the asparagus holds up and is crisp-tender.  Really refreshing and delightful to eat.       
 


Preparing the Lemon Vinaigrette couldn’t be any easier.  It consists of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, a little bit agave to balance out the tartness, extra virgin olive oil (I used a Meyer lemon infused olive oil), kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  It compliment the flavors of the fresh asparagus very well.



I top the salad with a few shaved parmigiano reggiano and toasted pine nuts.  You can use any other nuts that you like but I love the buttery pine nuts and the slightly salty and very flavorful parmigiano reggiano here.  Each bite is perfect and leave me craving for more!



Here’s how I prepare this salad:
1) In a small pan, toast the pine nuts on low heat until golden brown.  Be careful not to burn them, toss them frequently.  Set aside and let cool.

2) Gently wash and pat dry the asparagus.  Trip off about 1-inch off the root. 
3) With a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer layer on the bottom 5 to 6-inches.  Discard the peels. 



4) With the vegetable peeler, shave along the long strands of the asparagus from tip to end.  Place asparagus ribbons in a large mixing bowl, set aside.
5) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk lemon juice, mustard, agave together. 
6) While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until vinaigrette emulsified.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Gently toss enough vinaigrette to moisten the asparagus ribbons.  You might not need all the vinaigrette.  You can toss in the pine nuts, or sprinkle them on top.  With a vegetable peeler, shave a few parmigiano reggiano on top and enjoy!



As simple as this!  I hope you enjoy today’s post and recipe.   Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll love this salad a lot too.  Stay tuned for more refreshing Spring and Summer time recipes to come!



Props used in this post:

Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set (Click here to see product information)

Wood Print Photography Backdrop (Click here to see similar product)
Libbey County Fair Drinking Jars (Click here to see product information)
Core Bamboo Cutting Board (Click here to see product information)
Aqus Striped Paper Straws (Click here to see product information)
Salad Plate (Click here to see similar product)




Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette:
Serving: 1 entree size (or 2 sides/appetizers)
Ingredient for the salad:
12 spears asparagus (use medium or thick ones)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
a small block of parmigiano reggiano (for shaving on top)

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used a Meyer lemon infused olive oil)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
To prepare the salad:
In a small pan, toast the pine nuts on low heat until golden brown.  Be careful not to burn them, toss them frequently.  Set aside and let cool.

Gently wash and pat dry the asparagus.  Trip off about 1-inch off the root.  With a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer layer on the bottom 5 to 6-inches.  Discard the peels.  With the vegetable peeler, shave along the long strands of the asparagus from tip to end.  Place asparagus ribbons in a large mixing bowl, set aside.
To make the vinaigrette:
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk lemon juice, mustard, agave together.  While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until vinaigrette emulsified.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.   

Gently toss enough vinaigrette to moisten the asparagus ribbons.  You might not need all the vinaigrette.  You can toss in the pine nuts, or sprinkle them on top.  With a vegetable peeler, shave a few parmigiano reggiano on top and enjoy!