Scallion and Asparagus Salad
This is a great spring salad with two long, lovely green vegetables that have a real affinity for each other (try the Asparagus, Green Pea, and Scallion Sauce for pasta in chapter 3). It is delicious as an antipasto or a first course, or as a side dish to grilled meat and fish. You can serve this salad chilled, but I like it at room temperature. If you haven’t poached scallions before, be sure to note how nicely it brings out the flavors in a mellow way. And here’s a thrifty cooking tip: scallion trimmings are some of the most useful scraps in the kitchen. A handful of leaves and the root ends can make an instant broth, as a substitute for stock—see my recipe for Simple Vegetable Broth, page 288.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Cooking the Vegetables
Step 1
With a vegetable peeler, shave off the skin from the bottom 3 inches or so of each stalk, so they cook evenly. (Save the stubs and peelings for soup base or asparagus-stub sauce, page 137.) Snap off the hard stubs at the bottom of the asparagus stalks—they’ll break naturally at the right point.
Step 2
Trim the root end of each scallion and the wilted ends of the green leaves. Peel off the loose layers at the white end too, so the scallions are all tight, trim, and about 6 inches long.
Step 3
In a wide deep skillet, bring 1 quart of water (or enough to cover the vegetables) to a boil, and add the asparagus and scallions.
Step 4
Adjust the heat to maintain a bubbling boil, and poach the asparagus and scallions, uncovered, for about 6 minutes or more, until they are tender but not falling apart, and cooked through but not mushy. To check doneness, pick up an asparagus spear in the middle with tongs; it should be a little droopy but not collapsing.
Step 5
As soon as they are done, lift out the vegetables with tongs and lay them in a colander (any fat asparagus spears may take a little longer, so leave them in a few minutes more). Hold the colander under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain briefly, then spread on kitchen towels, pat dry, and sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon salt over them.
Making the Salad
Step 6
Slice the asparagus and the scallions into 1-inch lengths, and pile them loosely in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the oil and vinegar over them, then sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss well, but don’t break up the vegetables.
Step 7
Quarter the eggs into wedges, and slice each wedge into two or three pieces; salt lightly and scatter the eggs in the bowl, and fold in with the vegetables. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chill the salad briefly, then arrange it on a serving platter or on salad plates.
It’s Easy to Hard Cook an Egg
Step 8
Here’s my simple method for hard-cooked eggs with nice color and good texture: Put the eggs in a saucepan that doesn’t crowd them together. Add water to cover the eggs by 2 to 3 inches. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Leave the eggs in the water until they’ve cooled to room temperature.
Step 9
To peel, crack the shells a few minutes before you need the eggs by rolling them on a flat surface. Let them sit in cold water for several minutes before peeling.
How to Get Flavorful Citrus Zest
Step 10
In the recipe on the facing page (and many others to come) I use fresh citrus zest—the outer peel of an orange or a lemon—as a major flavoring agent. The trick, with either fruit, is to remove only the thin colored layer of rind, where the essential oils are contained, without any of the bitter white pith just underneath. A sharp vegetable peeler, a paring knife, a grater, or any of several kinds of “zesters” are good for this purpose. My favorite zester is one with several tiny cutting holes, which scrape off the zest in long thin threads, lending a lovely visual element to the dish, as well as vibrant taste. If you don’t have this tool, shave off a wider strip of zest with a peeler or knife, then cut it lengthwise in thin julienne slivers.
