Shaved Asparagus Salad
This is hardly a recipe. I saw it on Smitten Kitchen awhile back, and it’s one of my favorite things to do during asparagus season.
All you do, after rinsing and letting the asparagus dry, is lay the asparagus flat on a cutting board, and use a vegetable peeler to make long strips from the thick end to the tip. Toss those woody thick ends when you are done.
Toasted pine nuts are great on this salad. I toast mine on the stove top over medium heat. I want to keep an eye on them because they can burn so easily. When they smell good, and have a toasty look, remove them from the heat.
Gently mound the asparagus ribbons in a salad bowl. Drizzle some olive oil over them, add a few squeezes of lemon juice, and sprinkle the pine nuts over the top. Add fresh grinds of salt and pepper to taste.
And if you remember (unlike me) shave some curls of Parmesan cheese over the top.