Once upon a time I hated asparagus. Just the sound of the word made me visibly cringe, and I would never allow my family to prepare anything with asparagus in it. I learned the error of my ways, however, when I worked at a wonderful regional Italian restaurant in Minnesota, and since then I've made asparagus a regular part of my diet.
Being a busy person like many out there, I only have so much time available to make any one thing, let alone an entire meal extravaganza. Because of this, I try to toss up as much flavor and flare as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.
This is where my asparagus and tomato salad comes into play. I initially made the salad for my boyfriend, Rudy, on our first stay-at-home dinner date, knowing that as a traditionally raised Hispanic man he would have little knowledge of flavors I was about to blend together. Being my wonderful test subject, he was eager to try something new, and needless to say my salad was an instant hit.
Since then I have introduced my salad to a few friends who have always shied away from either asparagus or tomatoes with excellent results, and Rudy has prepared it for his fellow Hispanic co-workers with the same result.
Ingredients
- 2 firm, ripe tomatoes
- 1 ½ lbs. fresh asparagus
- ¾ bunch of chives
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. dried basil leaves
- Sea salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- Fresh rosemary to garnish
Method
- Start by washing the asparagus and cutting off the tough stems.
- Then cut the asparagus into ¾ inch pieces and set to the side.
- Remove the stems from the tomatoes and slice into eighths
- Cut out the seeds then finely dice and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium until hot but not smoking
- Add the asparagus and sauté, stirring occasionally until the asparagus is tender on the outside but still crisp in the center (7 minutes)
- Briefly wash and dry the chives and finely cop
- Combine in a serving bowl with honey, cider vinegar, vegetable oil, basil, salt and pepper and whip until well mixed.
- Slowly stir in the tomatoes until coated
- Add the sautéed asparagus and continue stirring until well covered.
- Sprinkle some rosemary on top and serve immediately.
Serves four
