Such a wickedly good salad! Tender asparagus, tossed with artichokes and red onion in the most luxurious balsamic glaze-based vinaigrette you've ever had. The dressing is tangy/sweet and partners perfectly with the sweet vegetables and salty feta cheese. And check this out: this salad is ready in 10 minutes, vegan and gluten-free!
This is one of the best salads I've ever made. And I've made a LOT of salads. The best part is, I made it on a whim, with what I had on hand. The boys informed me that they needed to bring a salad to a cross country dinner - 30 minutes before they needed to leave for the party. Clearly I didn't have time to shop... Thankfully, I had fresh asparagus, a jar of artichoke hearts, crumbled feta, and red onion. The rest of the ingredients were pantry staples.
What I love about this salad is the creative use of
balsamic glaze. If you Google "asparagus salad", you'll find that most recipes involve creating a balsamic
reduction, which means simmering balsamic vinegar and sugar together until the mixture reduces by half. By using store-bought balsamic glaze, you can skip this step and get the same amazing, syrupy result. You get the tang of balsamic vinegar, with a little sweetness. Kind of takes the harshness out of the vinegar - which is why it's excellent with sweet asparagus.
Another cool part about this salad is the Romaine lettuce underneath the asparagus mixture. Since the asparagus is still warm when you arrange the salad, the Romaine leaves wilt slightly; creating a buttery-crisp layer underneath. The whole experience is just magical. If a salad can be magical - which I believe it can be.
Asparagus and Artichoke Salad with Feta
2 pounds fresh asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons
balsamic glaze
1 teaspoon
dried minced garlic or minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
10-14 ounces whole artichokes in water, drained and chopped
1/4 cup minced red onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 4 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain and run the asparagus under cold water to prevent further cooking.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic glaze, garlic, Dijon, and oregano. Add the asparagus, artichokes and red onion and toss (gently) to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Arrange the lettuce on serving dish. Arrange the asparagus mixture over top and top with the feta. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
Serves 4
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