Asparagus and Pea Salad
2066 days ago
Skip to recipeI love salads and this Asparagus and Pea Salad is fast becoming my favorite.
One reason is that, while it’s great as a side dish, it can also become complete dinner salad with the addition of leftover roast chicken or ham. To make it more of an antipasto I omit the walnuts and cherries and add sliced salami, pepperoni, pancetta, mushrooms, Kalamata olives and even mozzarella. Next time I may even top it with shaved Parmesan.
To make this salad even simpler, you’ll only need one knife to prep all the veggies. I used Cutco’s utility knife, the Trimmer, to cut the asparagus, snap peas and tomatoes.
Ingredients
Asparagus
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Dressing
- 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cups fresh sugar snap peas cut into thirds
- 1 small sweet red pepper, small diced
- 1 small red onion, small diced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta
- 1 cup candied walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup dried cherries
Directions
- In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus in batches; cook, uncovered, 2-4 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus and immediately drop into ice water to blanche. Drain and pat dry.
To make the Salad
- In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing until blended.
- In a large bowl, combine asparagus, tomatoes, snap peas, red pepper and onion. Drizzle dressing over asparagus mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.
- Before serving, stir in cheese, nuts and cherries.