Dish Paige! has a bi-weekly cooking column on the Bushwick Blog, devoted to the artsy enclave of Bushwick, Brooklyn. Check out her delicious new entry:
I think if I could only have one vegetable for the rest of my life, it would be asparagus. This time of the year, I eat it as often as I can, and since Angel’s on Knickerbocker has been selling some particularly awesome bunches of it lately, I’ve been exploring tons of ways to cook it. The other day for a barbecue, I made some bacon-wrapped asparagus bundles (take about 5 spears and wrap in 1 slice of thick-cut bacon, secure with a toothpick and grill on a medium heat), which turned out absolutely heavenly — although for me, wrap anything in bacon and I’m sold!
Searching for more ideas, I remembered a salad I had at Northeast Kingdom last summer that was based around shaved asparagus. Since you peel thin ribbons of the vegetable you don’t need to cook it, which makes this a super quick, super easy and incredibly flavorful dish. Of course, like any salad, the ingredients here are just a jumping off point. Add carrots, nuts, boiled potatoes, whatever you like — go crazy!
Ingredients:
1 pound large asparagus spears, trimmed
1 container cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
cheese (I used queso fresco, but goat cheese or Parmesan would be great, etc.)
Holding each asparagus spear by the tip, shave into ribbons with a vegetable peeler (save and/or freeze the left overs for later use). In a large bowl, combine asparagus and tomatoes. Whisk together lemon juice, oilive oil, mustard, salt & pepper and pour over the vegetables. Plate and top with your choice of cheese.
via Bushwickbk.com
Saucy Little Dish 