Shaved asparagus & pesto salad
Prep
25 mins
Cook
30 mins
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Here's my favorite way to celebrate spring asparagus. This salad comes together in under an hour and honestly feels fancy enough for guests, but simple enough for a weeknight dinner. The beauty of shaving the asparagus raw is that you get this delicate, almost tender texture without any cooking, plus all those wonderful nutrients stay intact. Asparagus is packed with folate and antioxidants that are so good for you. The fresh basil pesto keeps everything bright and vibrant, and the whole thing comes together with ingredients you probably already have on hand. It's one of those salads that tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 1 handful/sice cubes
- 230 gramsasparagus(woody ends removed)
- 25 gramsbasil(leaves only)
- ½garlic clove(finely grated)
- 40 gramsparmigiano reggiano
- 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil
- ½lemon(juice)
- 30 gramsrocket
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Put the ice in a bowl of cold water. Shave the asparagus into long strips using a vegetable peeler (you may need to thinly slice the thick ends with a knife) and put into the iced water. Put ½ the basil leaves into a mortar with ½ the pine nuts and the garlic. Season, then pound with a pestle until slightly broken down. Finely grate in half the cheese, then muddle together with the olive oil and lemon juice (you are looking to make a crude and loose pesto); season if needed.
- 2
Drain and dry the shaved asparagus, then layer up with the rocket and pesto dressing in a large salad bowl; toss lightly but thoroughly to combine. Toss through the remaining basil leaves and pine nuts, then shave over the remaining cheese. Serve straight away.
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