Asparagus isn't in season for long, so if you can afford to buy a bunch - do it! It's really tasty, and very good for you, so it's perfect for a lovely summery lunch or dinner.
Often when I've had asparagus it has been a bit wilty and yucky - cooked for too long until it goes soggy. The asparagus in this recipe is raw, so you can really taste the lovely crunchy flavours of summer!
I bought my bunch the other week, and then went away for the weekend. When I came back it had gone a bit droopy - but with a lot of vegetables that have obviously been cut from the root or a bigger part of a plant, you can pop them in water like flowers and they will perk right back up again! This works especially well for broccoli too.
This recipe is based loosely on something I saw in the newspaper last weekend, although they say it serves 4, which is lies! Two hearty portions :)
Serves 2, 3 at a push.
1 bunch of asparagus (doesn't matter how many as long as it's at least 8 sticks)
About 16-20 cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber
handful of parsley, if you have it
For the dressing:
1/2 an avocado
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
2-3 sploshes of water, depending on how thick it turns out
1. Chop the cucumber into little chunks, halve all of the cherry tomatoes and pop them into a bowl.
2. Get a vegetable peeler. Run the peeler down the lengths of the asparagus sticks to create ribbons. This isn't that tricky once you get the hang of it - it's helpful to put the stick flat on the chopping board and hold the fat end of the asparagus. You can then start ribboning from where your fingers stop. This also means you don't get the woody/dry end in your salad, yay! Pop all of the ribbons in the bowl.
3. Chop up half an avocado, and add that and the oil, lemon, salt and pepper to a food processor/blender. If you have a stick blender, add it to a bowl and whizz that way. If you don't have any of that, you could try mashing the avocado, but your dressing will probably be a wee bit lumpy.
4. Whizz until smooth - if it's looking more like whipped cream (e.g. too thick), add a little splosh of water, and repeat that if you need to. The result should be a thin sauce, like a regular salad dressing.
5. Add the dressing to the salad and mix it all in. Cut some big hunks of bread to eat with it, and to mop up the dressing when you've eaten it all. Yum yum!
Have you got an asparagus recipe you love? What other vegetables remind you of spring and summer?
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