Although the weather doesn’t seem to have caught the memo, it is actually summer here in the UK and, when it comes to lunches, that means I’m usually spent trying to make the perfect salad.
I love a salad but I am easily bored by foods and when there aren’t enough different textures, I kind of have to convince myself to get through the whole thing. It’s an annoying habit.
Enter: Salade d’Asperges, an asparagus-based salad with a tonne of different textures and tastes that come together perfectly.
The salad, which comes from Boursin, contains asparagus, puy lentils, hazelnuts and, crucially, cheese. Stay with me here.
There are a lot of ingredients involved, but they’re quite basic.
You’ll need these ingredients:
- 500g asparagus
- 200g cooked puy lentils
- 75g roasted chopped hazelnuts
- 95g of Boursin
- A handful of chopped chives
Then, for the zesty dressing, you’ll need:
- 1 lemon
- A handful of fresh basil
- A handful of fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp French mustard
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp virgin oil
- ½ tsp Maldon salt
- ½ ground pepper
- 1 tbsp ground almond
Method
- To cook the asparagus, prepare a bowl with icy cold water and set aside. Bring some water to a boil with 1 tbsp of salt in a large pan. Add the asparagus and cook for 5-6 minutes, until you can insert a knife easily into the asparagus. Drain the water and pour the asparagus into the icy water for about 30 seconds. Drain and set aside
- To make the dressing, simply add all the ingredients to a food processor to make a smooth dressing
- Plate the salad in an oval dish, lay the asparagus down, sprinkle the puy lentils, roasted hazelnuts, and pour over generously some dressing. Top with the soft cheese and some freshly chopped chives
Thank me later.