Asparagus Blue Cheese Salad
What constitutes a salad, really? Does it have to be cold? Does it have to have leaves of some sort? Should we groan a little on the inside when we say it? Maybe this dish isn’t a salad, technically, but I would nominate it as one in an effort to expand the definition. Especially because it might be able to help you cross the border into Salad Land without feeling too unwelcome.
This is a memory version of a dish they used to serve at a restaurant called Mia Francesca in Chicago. Back then I lived near the Francesca to rule them all and it was the go to special occasion place because of the beautiful bar and great menu. They had something like this on the dinner menu and I got it every time I went. It is so fresh, has a lot of flavor and doesn’t taste like something a doctor would have to force you to eat. I don’t know that they called it a salad either, to be fair. They’ve turned into an entire restaurant group now and, sadly, it looks like this isn’t on their menu anymore so you’ll have to make it yourself.
Which is so easy. Asparagus is the harbinger of springtime. The first reliably green and tasty thing to come up in the garden or hit the shelves. Even though we can pretty much get any vegetable at any time of year, the ones you get in season are going to taste better every time. Case in point: tomatoes in January in the UK are not even related to August tomatoes. Which are only distantly related to tomatoes you get in Italy. Asparagus, however, does quite well in the UK and tastes as good as it does anywhere. The season is short though, from about the end of April until June, so I keep it in heavy rotation while it’s here.
Other than eating it raw this is about the easiest way to make it presentable for a dinner party while also being a perfectly acceptable lunch. Welcome to Salad Land, we’re glad you’re here!
