Asparagus Beet Salad Recipes

CHILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• I like asparagus al dente, slightly crunchy. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater. How will you know? Take a little water with a spoon and taste it, then add the sugar.
• Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl, large enough to hold the asparagus, with cold water. Add some ice cubes. Plunge the asparagus into the ice bath before cooking. This will help to bring any limp stalks back to life. Remove from the ice bath, plunge them into the boiling water and allow them to cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, transferring them immediately to the same ice bath. Allow them to sit in the ice bath for a few minutes, swirling them gently in the water to assure they are all cooling quickly in the cold water.
• The most important step for this dish? Drying the stalks once they are removed from the ice bath. Taking care that no water gets into the final salad is the best way to assure that the maximum flavor will be enjoyed! Transfer the asparagus to a large plate or platter lined with a kitchen towel and refrigerate.
• In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey and mustard. Stir to blend. Whisk in the olive oil in an even, steady stream. When all of the oil has been integrated, taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• When ready to serve, remove the kitchen towel from the asparagus and simply toss the asparagus in the dressing to coat them completely. Arrange the stalks on plates and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND BEET TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the beets in a small baking dish and add about 1/2 inch water. Cover with foil and bake until the beets are easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the beets to a plate and let cool. Wipe off the skins with a paper towel and slice into small wedges; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon thyme, a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes. (Add 1 to 2 teaspoons more water to the skillet, if needed.) Transfer the onion mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Let cool.
• Roll out the puff pastry into a 9-by-11-inch rectangle on a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer the dough on the parchment to a baking sheet. Score a 1-inch border around the edge of the dough with a paring knife. Brush the border with the beaten egg. Spread the onion puree inside the border.
• Combine the beets, asparagus, olive oil, the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Arrange on top of the onion puree.
• Bake the tart until the dough is well browned and the asparagus is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Scatter the goat cheese and chives on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GREEK ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Remove papery outer skin from garlic (do not peel or separate cloves). Cut top off of garlic bulb. Brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Wrap bulb in heavy-duty foil. Bake at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until garlic is softened. Cool for 10 minutes., Meanwhile, place asparagus on a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with remaining oil; toss to coat. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning once., Squeeze softened garlic into a small bowl; mash slightly. Stir in the asparagus, onion, olives and vinaigrette; toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta before serving.

ROASTED BEET AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• The Beets: Wash and dry the beets well. Rub them with the 1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Place them in a baking pan with 1 ounce of water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour & 15 minutes or until they are fork tender. Allow the beets to cool. Peel off the outer skin and small dice. This should yield about 3 cups. Place the diced beets, blood orange oil and cilantro in a bowl and toss. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Reserve in the refrigerator.
• The Asparagus: While the beets are roasting, blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes until it is tender and bright green.
• Shock the asparagus in ice water for about 3-5 minutes or until it is cold throughout . Dry the asparagus and chop it into a small dice. This should yield about 3 cups. Reserve in the refrigerator.
• The Dijon Vinaigrette: While the beets are roasting or a couple of days in advance, combine the egg yolk, Dijon, and vinegar in a bowl. With a wire wisk, mix the ingredients well. Slowly in a steady stream, drizzle in the oil to form and emulsion. Add the parsley, chives and shallots. Mix well and season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Reserve in the refrigerator.
• The Moroccan Spice & Almonds: While the beets are roasting, or 1 day before, remove the zest from 1 orange and place in a small oven proof container in the oven to dry out, watching constantly as not to burn it.
• Once the zest is dry allow it to cool. In a coffee grinder, add the cardamom, broken cinnamon stick, allspice & cloves and grind until fine.
• Pour the spices into a small bowl. Grind the dry orange rind in the same fashion and add it to the other spices. Add the sugar and salt and mix well with a fork. Reserve in an airtight container.
• Toast the almonds in a dry saute pan over medium heat on the stove until lightly golden brown. Drizzle the 1 Tablespoon of oil on the almonds and continue to toast for another 30 seconds. Pull the almonds off the heat and pour them evenly onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the almonds with about 1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the Moroccan spice and continue to toast in the oven for approximately 1 - 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Reserve.
• To Build the Dish: Remove the beets, asparagus, vinaigrette & cheese from the refrigerator 1/2 an hour before serving. Add about 2 - 3 ounces of the Dijon vinaigrette to the asparagus and toss well. Season to taste with salt & pepper. In a round mold or free style, divide the asparagus onto the center of 6 plates. Add a layer of the dressed asparagus on top of the beets. (If you are using a mold, you will need to layer the beets and then the asparagus onto one plate before removing the mold and repeating onto the second plate and so forth.) Toss the field greens in some of the blood orange oil and place some of them onto the asparagus. Place 1 piece of Maytag blue cheese on top of the greens. Sprinkle each plate with the almonds. Garnish each plate with drizzles of Dijon vinaigrette, blood orange oil and chopped chives.

ASPARAGUS, BEAN AND PISTACHIO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green but still slightly crisp in the center, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Repeat with the haricots verts. Dry the asparagus and beans, then slice them into 1/4-inch pieces.
• Rub a bowl with the garlic clove. Add the asparagus, beans, lettuce, pistachios and cheese. Sprinkle with the vinegar and oil. Season generously with pepper and truffle salt. Mix salad until evenly dressed. Fix the seasoning if you need to.

SESAME BEEF & ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Place steak on a broiler pan. Broil 2-3 in. from heat until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°), 6-7 minutes per side. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing., In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, uncovered, just until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and cool. , Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and ginger; toss with beef and asparagus. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. If desired, serve over lettuce with carrot, radishes, cilantro and lime wedges.

ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Place asparagus in a steamer basket set over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until just tender. Remove and transfer to ice-water bath until cool. Remove and pat dry. Place asparagus on a platter (or divide between 6 individual plates); set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together shallot, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar. While whisking constantly, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Whisk in the herbs. Drizzle vinaigrette over asparagus. Serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS, BEET, RED ONION, AND WALNUT SALAD

Steps:

• Vinaigrette: Mix mustard, vinegar, honey, oil, garlic and basil in bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Salad: Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to boil. Add the asparagus spears to the water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain. Plunge the spears into cold running water to halt the cooking process. When cooled, drain the asparagus on paper towels, toss the asparagus with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bring medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the beets and cook until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain. Slip off the skins under cold running water. Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick. You need approximately 24 slices. Toss the beets with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. And refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
• To assemble the salad, layer the beets, onions, and asparagus on small salad plates. Drizzle the remaining dressing around the plates and sprinkle with walnuts.

ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH SWEET BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Boil vinegar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour vinegar into large bowl. Whisk in oil, mustard, marjoram and garlic. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain again. Add asparagus and bell pepper to dressing; toss to blend well. Sprinkle with pecans and serve.

BEETROOT, FETA & ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• The day before: make the dressing. Put the oregano or marjoram, a pinch of salt and the garlic into a food processor and pulse to a paste. Add the lemon juice and whizz until smooth. Stir in the olive oil and season - it should be sharp and a bit salty.Cover and chill.
• Two hours before serving: bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and cool under the cold tap. Cover and keep cool.
• Put the beetroot in a large bowl and toss with twothirds of the dressing. Add the lemon zest and spring onions, cover and keep at cool room temperature with the remaining dressing.
• To serve: add the watercress to the beetroot and tear in the basil. Toss in the asparagus and season with freshly ground black pepper. Taste before adding salt as the cheese is quite salty.Mix lightly, so you don't dye everything pink, then pile into a serving dish. Crumble over the cheese and pour the remaining dressing on top.

BEET AND CUCUMBER RELISH WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each beet in foil. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, trim beets and rub off skins with paper towels, or peel beets with a paring knife.
• Cut beets into 1/4-inch dice, and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in cucumber, shallot, vinegar, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 hours.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan until hot. Toss asparagus with remaining teaspoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Grill asparagus, turning once, until tender, 4 to 8 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on thickness of spears).
• Arrange asparagus on a platter, and let cool completely. Finely chop basil, and stir into beet relish. Using a slotted spoon, spoon beet relish over asparagus.