Spring Salad with Asparagus, Goat Cheese, lemon and Hazelnuts

I’ve been taking full advantage of asparagus season, my fridge is constantly stocked with those tender thin stalks. Besides just roasting them, which is a given, I’ve been putting them into frittatas, risottos, pasta dishes, tarts and a ton of salads.

In this salad today the asparagus is really the star. You give them a really quick roast to get them out of the raw state, slice them in half lengthwise, then gently toss into a hunk of honey infused goat cheese which has been loosened up a bit with a fresh lemon and olive oil dressing. Honestly, you could stop right there it’s that good!

But continue on please because we’re making a salad today.

For the other ingredients you’ll want to build your salad around what’s in season, and being that its spring here I used a mixture of red leaf lettuce and a little arugula for spiciness, crispy radishes, fresh peas and fava beans, I added in some raw zucchini ribbons because I love the look and taste it gives to a salad, plus crunchy toasted hazelnuts.

Layer everything together rustic style onto a nice big platter and spoon more of the lemon and olive oil dressing all over.

For a special finish to this salad add generous shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, it’s a must!

• 1 bunch of asparagus,on the thin side but thick enough to cut in half lengthwise.
• 1 cup fresh peas, or frozen and defrosted
• ½ cup of cooked and prepped fava beans, you could use frozen defrosted lima beans
• 5 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 medium raw zucchini made into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, (no seeds)
• ½ bunch of red leaf lettuce chopped bite size and a generous handful of arugula mixed together or combination of salad greens of your choice
• 4 oz. of chevre goat cheese, I used the one with honey
• the zest of one lemon, you can cut up a few slices for garnish after
• ½ cup of toasted hazelnuts, slightly cracked open
• shaved Parmigiano Reggiano for top of salad
• extra lemons for dressing
• olive oil

1. Roast your asparagus on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil for maybe 5 or 10 minutes on 375 just until the raw taste is gone, you don't want limp asparagus they should still have a good bite to them, so keep checking. Cool them off and them slice them lengthwise.
2. Make a lemon and olive oil dressing using 2 parts fresh lemon juice to 4 parts olive oil.
3. In a bowl mash up your goat cheese and loosen it up with 2 tablespoons of the lemon dressing.
4. Gently toss and coat sliced asparagus into the mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste.
5. On a large platter assemble the greens, peas, fava beans, radishes, zucchini ribbons all over ending with the goat cheese coated asparagus on top.
6. Sprinkle the toasted nuts all around.
7. Spoon lemon dressing all around, as much as you think you need.
8. Add shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano on top.
9. Garnish with a few lemon slices.

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