Blanched Asparagus with Honey Dijon Shallot Dressing

With the warm weather, people are spending more time at the beach, the lake and the pool. One thing that is great to bring along for a dish is asparagus. It’s so fresh and wonderful this time of year. I have an easy and tasty dish to make. It goes great all by itself, or you can cut the asparagus into small pieces and toss into a pasta salad. If you love asparagus, you will definitely love this recipe. This recipe can be served warm or chilled.

Make sure that when you prep your asparagus you cut off the bottom woodsy stem. This part of the asparagus is very tough if eaten. Usually I cut about an inch of the bottoms. Also, if you can’t find shallots, then a mild sweet onion will work just fine. I have also made this recipe by coating the asparagus in olive oil and grilling it for about five minutes. Make the dressing ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of fresh asparagus

2 shallots, sliced

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 lemon, juiced

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash and trim the asparagus.

2. Place in a large pot of water to boil.

3. Place a large bowl of ice water aside.

4. When water is boiling, add a dash of salt, shallots and asparagus.

5. Remove asparagus and shallots after about 3-4 minutes and place in ice water to stop the cooking.

6. Whisk the Dijon, honey and lemon in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make a dressing.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Drain asparagus and shallots and place on a platter.

9. Pour dressing over asparagus.

You can also garnish the asparagus with some shaved parmesan cheese or crumbled feta.

Stay safe and eat great Canton.