“This time of year is perfect for first of the season asparagus from the Sacramento Delta. Farmers such as Zuckerman Farms deliver beautiful young and flavorful stalks."
Asparagus is one of the earliest spring vegetables, a bright change of pace from winter’s kale and broccoli. While roasting whole spears is our default method, sometimes it’s so refreshing to do something with raw asparagus. This salad from Chef Jeff Rosen combines beautifully thin ribbons of asparagus with dry jack cheese, toasted pine nuts, and arugula with a Green Goddess dressing.
If you haven’t had (or made) Green Goddess dressing you are in for a treat. It’s like an herb garden exploded in a tangy ranch dressing. Feel free to experiment and swap out your favorite fresh herbs.
While it’s a little work to peel the asparagus, this salad will pay you back by keeping in the fridge for up to 2 days. Plus making ribbons out of asparagus is fun. You can use a mandoline (not for the faint of heart or accident-prone), or use the everyday hack of a vegetable peeler.
SHAVED ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Makes
4 servings
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 bunch jumbo or large asparagus
- 2 oz dry jack cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup (2 oz) pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 1 cara cara orange, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups baby arugula leaves
- 3 oz Green Goddess dressing (below)
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 Tbsp chopped garlic (1-2 cloves)
- 2 Tbsp (1 oz) red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup aïoli or mayonnaise
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the Green Goddess Dressing
- Pulse all ingredients (except aioli/mayonnaise and salt/pepper) in a blender or food processor until they are finely chopped, but not so much that they turn into a paste. (Alternatively, chop these ingredients by hand.)
- Whisk this mixture into aioli/mayonnaise until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the Salad
- Place asparagus lengthwise on mandoline and carefully shave to desired thinness (should be fairly thin, less than ¼”).
- Alternatively you can use a vegetable peeler, cheese planer, or knife to peel the asparagus stalks into long, thin ribbons.
- Toss all salad ingredients with dressing, and serve.
Yield: 4 entrée size salads. Keeps in fridge for 2 days. Dressing will keep for 1-2 weeks refrigerated.