Greek-Style Asparagus Salad
Yesterday was a record breaking hot day – and this was lunch. I made some olive bread and put together a Greek-Style Tomato Salad, too, but I’ll post them next week. I think I must be thinking ‘Greece’ because the news is so full of scenes from Athens. Tough times ahead for a lovely country whichever way they vote, I fear.
I love Greek food, but then I love the herbs that predominate in it – oregano, mint, dill, bay leaves, Greek basil, thyme and fennel are the ones that spring to mind. Being a home cook, I have to use what I can buy. My oregano is not the evocative rigani, as far as I’m aware. It’s Bart’s. Greek basil, I can get. The bitter salad leaves don’t taste quite as bitter as they do under Greek sunshine, but I probably would balk at so many unnecessary air-miles just to feed my children lunch.
Nothing for it, a visit to Greece is in my future.
In the meantime, we’re coming to the end of the British asparagus season. I have treated my early spears with utmost respect and I’m now putting them in tarts, wrapping in pancakes and making them into salads.
I picked up a couple of bundles – which was a little over 500g. There’s a point on an asparagus spear where it’ll snap naturally. That place marks the end of the fibrous bit and the start of the tender, delicious bit.
(Incidentally, I read something the other day about the English style of eating – and cooking – asparagus. Apparently, we steam the whole asparagus spear and then use the fibrous bit to hold. I will confess to eating with my fingers on occasion, but I’m afraid I eat the whole thing and would be irritated to get fibrous bits between my teeth. Plus, I am inclined to lick my fingers when no-one is looking rather than look for a finger bowl. I would be more disappointed in myself if the writer didn’t labour under the assumption all households own an asparagus steamer but I have never lived in a household which possessed one.)
If you are aesthetically fastidious, you can neaten up the ends with a knife. I do that. Sorry!
My asparagus I would classify as ‘medium’. What chefs call sprue asparagus (that’s the spindly ones) I’d use for something else. Fatter asparagus will need peeling. Just the lower part to make sure what you have in your salad is tender.
Whatever you are left with – pop the snapped off ends and any trimmings in a freezer bag. That’s asparagus soup in the making.
The asparagus spears I give a rinse under running water and fill a wide saucepan with about 5cm/2″ of water. Just enough to cover the asparagus in a single layer. Ish. You can be a little relaxed about it.
When the water is boiling add a little sea salt. I season lightly, partly because I’m going to save the asparagus water for soup and that will intensify the salt content and partly because these spears are going in a flavourful dressing.
Simmer for 3 minutes. It’s almost more of a blanch. Just tender. Then drain, reserving the water if you want to make soup. I put mine in a freezer bag for another day. Usually, I lay the spears on kitchen paper to dry .. but I’d run out.
And the dressing …
Finely zest one lemon. Put it and the juice into a bowl.
100ml/3½fl oz of cold-pressed Greek olive oil. Use one you like the flavour of.
1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
Salt and pepper. This is such a subjective thing, but I used 2 scant teaspoons of coarse sea salt and crushed 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar.
Give the drained – and still perky – asparagus a toss in the dressing.
Finely chop three shallots and add those.
A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley. I had to use a small supermarket pot and I used it all. Roughly chop. It’s part of the salad so I like to see bits of parsley.
Give everything a light toss and leave it at room temperature for all the flavours to get acquainted. If you want to leave it longer than an hour, pop into the fridge and bring it back to room temperature before serving.
Eat.
Greek-Style Asparagus Salad
Serves 4-6 as a side.
- 2 bundles of medium asparagus spears (about 500g/1lb)
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 100ml/3½fl oz of cold-pressed Greek olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon of roughly crushed black peppercorns
- Sea-salt, to taste
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears and freeze to use in stocks or soup. Rinse the spears under running water.
Bring 5cm/2½” of water to a boil in a wide saucepan. Season lightly and add the spears. Simmer for 3 minutes, or until the asparagus spears are just tender. Drain and spread on kitchen towel to dry.
Place the zest and juice of the lemon in a bowl. Add 100ml/3½fl oz of cold-pressed Greek olive oil, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and season with salt and crushed black peppercorns.
Lightly toss the asparagus spears in the dressing.
Add the finely chopped shallots and the roughly chopped parsley. Give everything a final toss and serve at room temperature.
Eat.