This salad knocks my socks off.
A couple of our professors invited us over for dinner one night last week. The whole evening was a lot of fun, but one of my favorite parts was this delicious salad. Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, and the combination of asparagus, roasted red peppers, and goat cheese is so fresh and light–perfect for a summer night. After raving about this salad for several days, I finally emailed my professor and she sent me the link to this Asparagus Salad with Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese recipe on foodandwine.com.
This salad is great for people who aren’t sure about salad, as I used to be. When I first became a vegetarian I didn’t like vegetables (I subsisted on bean burritos and Boca burgers for longer that I’d like to admit), and I wasn’t crazy about salads for quite a while. I think this salad would be a great baby step for someone unsure about vegetables–I wish I could go back in time and make it for my high school aged self.
To make this, you’ll need:
- 2 pounds medium asparagus, tough ends removed
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon or dill
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (I used white because that’s all we had)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces soft mild goat cheese
- 12 Niçoise or Calamata olives, pitted and chopped
- Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until it’s bright green and tender (about 3 minutes). Transfer to a colander and refresh under cold water. Drain and pat dry. Roast the peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until charred all over (I’d never done this before, and I’ll admit it’s harder than it sounds. My professor confessed to using jarred peppers, and they tasted just fine too). Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel the peppers and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
To make the dressing, stir together the vinegar, capers, mustard, tarragon, garlic and onion in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper and then whisk in the olive oil.
Arrange the asparagus on a serving tray. Lay the roasted pepper strips over the asparagus and drizzle with half of the vinaigrette. Crumble the goat cheese on top. Garnish with the chopped olives and the parmesan shavings and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
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