Tag: taste

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Fried Pastrami and Mustard Dressing – Keeping it Raw

This shaved asparagus salad actually started out as an asparagus wrapped with pastrami recipe, but when that didn’t work out, my wife Michele saved the day, and convinced me to go raw – and I do mean convince.

I really dislike under-cooked asparagus, and in virtually every video I’ve used it, I’ve pleaded with the audience to make sure the spears get to the sweet and tender stage. I’ve always felt that the main reason most people who don’t like asparagus, is that they grew up eating it crunchy, barely warm, and bitter.

However, when you shave it thin with a peeler, and give it a quick curing/pickling in the dressing, those harsh attributes mellow out substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat. Happily, that passed.

Thanks to the pastrami’s aromatic spices, subtle smokiness, and peppery finish, it was a perfect match. Of course, you can substitute with bacon or ham; but the cured beef brisket was a nice change of pace to those much more common, pork-based choices.

Just be sure to not dress your raw asparagus until you’re ready to eat. The couple minutes it takes to fry the meat is all the marination time you’ll need. Anyway, peak asparagus season is almost upon us, and if you’re looking for a new way to enjoy it, I hope you give this shaved asparagus salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

24 large asparagus spears (save bottoms for soup)

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

4 oz pastrami, sliced thin

For the dressing:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar)

3-4 tbsp olive oil, or to taste

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Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

by Pam on July 22, 2013

We were going to a friend’s house for a birthday celebration and I wanted to make a special salad to go with dinner. I went online in search of a summery vinaigrette and found one at Barefeet In The Kitchen^[1] that looked perfect. I adapted it a bit by using fresh strawberries, basil instead of rosemary, and a bit of vegetable oil. It couldn’t have been easier to make. It tasted a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, and tangy. It was light, flavorful, and perfectly delicious. This vinaigrette was a big hit with everyone except for my son, who wasn’t a fan. I will be making this again… SOON. Thanks for the great recipe Mary!

Combine the sliced strawberries, white balsamic vinegar, vegetable oil, olive oil, orange juice, honey, basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a large container. Blend using an immersion blender (or regular blender) until well combined. Taste and re-season with seasonings or honey if needed. Drizzle over salad and serve. Enjoy.

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Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 5 min.

Total Time: 5 min.

Ingredients:

6 oz of Fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 small orange (about 2 tbsp)
1/2-1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp dried basil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine the sliced strawberries, vegetable oil, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, orange juice, honey, basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a large container. Blend using an immersion blender (or regular blender) until well combined. Taste and re-season with seasonings or honey if needed. Drizzle over salad and serve. Enjoy.

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Barefeet In The Kitchen

References

^{^} Barefeet In The Kitchen (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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Asparagus and Tomato Sauté with Balsamic and Feta

by Pam on March 5, 2014

We eat a lot of asparagus around here this time of year. I decided to do a quick sauté with the asparagus spears and grape tomato halves until crisp-tender. I drizzled the top with a really good balsamic vinegar and feta cheese crumbles. It was delicious, healthy, and it paired nicely with the Spicy Roasted Chicken Drumsticks^[1] and the Basmati Rice with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Fresh Parsley^[2].

Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the asparagus spears then cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes (longer if the asparagus is really thick – shorter if they are really thin), until crisp tender. Add the grape tomato halves and cook for 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the asparagus and tomatoes on a serving plate then drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar, to taste, then top with feta cheese crumbles, to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

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Asparagus and Tomato Sauté with Balsamic and Feta

Yield: 4

Total Time: 7 min.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 bunch of asparagus, wooden ends removed
1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Feta cheese crumbles, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the asparagus spears then cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes (longer if the asparagus is really thick – shorter if they are really thin), until crisp tender. Add the grape tomato halves and cook for 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the asparagus and tomatoes on a serving plate then drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar, to taste, then top with feta cheese crumbles, to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} Spicy Roasted Chicken Drumsticks (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Basmati Rice with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Fresh Parsley (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)