Spring salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 bunches (24 spears) asparagus, woody ends snapped off (Note 1)
- 120g / 4oz snow peas (about 16 large or 20 smaller ones), trimmed and string removed
- 1 head baby gem or cos lettuce (aka romaine) washed (16 leaves, Note 2)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen peas (Note 3)
- 90g / 3oz goats cheese
- 1 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
Lemon Dressing
- 1 tsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
- 6 tbsp (90ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1
Blanching Vegetables - Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- 2
Blanching Vegetables - Add snow peas to pot, boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
- 3
Blanching Vegetables - Add the asparagus spears, boil for another 1 1/2 minutes.
- 4
Blanching Vegetables - Add frozen peas, and boil for another 30 seconds or until the water just returns to a simmer, and peas turn bright green.
- 5
Blanching Vegetables - Immediately drain, refresh vegetables under cold running water until cooled to stop cooking process.
- 6
Preparation - Remove the asparagus and snow peas, blot with paper towels to dry. Leave peas in colander to drain, giving them a toss now and then to help them dry. (It's important to dry vegetables, otherwise it dilutes the dressing and it won't stick. You could use a salad spinner with care, or just let them naturally dry which is easier.)
- 7
Preparation - Split the larger baby cos leaves down the middle, use the small ones whole.
- 8
Preparation - Cut asparagus stems in half on a slight angle.
- 9
Dressing - Shake Dressing ingredients in a jar.
- 10
Assembly - Combine vegetables in a bowl, dress and toss.
- 11
Assembly - Arrange salad on a platter (Note 5). Top with small chunks of goats cheese. Serve immediately!
