Asparagus Ceasar Salad

As you all know, asparagus is my favorite vegetable; my husband will even eat it. I enjoyed preparing my asparagus salmon quiche, and even though I have quite a few well-loved asparagus recipes, I'm always looking for new ones. As far as I'm concerned, you can never have enough recipes.  A recipe in the April issue of Food and Wine magazine caught my attention, and I had to try it: an asparagus salad. It was packed with flavor and included some interesting ingredients, like smoked almonds, which I had never used before. But boy, did they add flavor to the salad! I also liked the way the asparagus was cooked. It turned out crunchy and dark green, just as it should be in a salad

I’m writing this quickly because I’m leaving for Germany tomorrow to visit my German family. It’s been far too long since we last saw each other! It’s a short trip, only two weeks, but it’s better than nothing. As I get older, traveling has become more of a hassle. I can’t run up and down the stairs at those huge train stations anymore to catch a train with just one or two suitcases; those days are gone. I have a  German girlfriend, and she says that traveling is overrated. I’m not there yet, but there will come a time when I can’t travel anymore. I’m adjusting my itinerary accordingly, but there’s one train ride where I have to take three different trains, and I must admit that scares me a little bit. I’m hoping that someone young and energetic will help me with the suitcase. 

Let’s get back to the recipe for this incredible salad! The flavors are divine, and it can serve as a complete meal alongside some nice crusty bread. I mostly followed the recipe from Food and Wine magazine, but I did add some lettuce to the salad. Next time I make it, I’ll try using less mayonnaise and adding some yogurt instead. I increased the garlic to two cloves. I used an entire can of anchovies, mashed three into a paste for the dressing, and used the others on top of the salad. I had some leftover dressing, which I used for another salad. 

Print the Recipe

 Ingredients:
Four to five asparagus will make one serving. It will make 4 to 6 portions.  

2 pounds fresh asparagus
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 oz. pecorino cheese grated about 1/4 cup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp water
1 tsp. Anchovy paste or 3 anchovy filets mashed into paste
½ tsp, grated lemon zest plus 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. salt 
2 garlic cloves grated 
½ cup smoked almonds 
Romaine letters

Directions:
Cut or break off the woody part at the end of each asparagus stalk. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating up, fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until it’s crisp-tender, about two minutes. Transfer the asparagus to the ice water and let it cool for about five minutes. Drain the asparagus and pat it dry with a towel. I kept my asparagus rolled in a towel in the refrigerator until I was ready to serve the salad.
For the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, pecorino, mustard, two teaspoons of water, anchovy paste, pepper, salt, and garlic until the ingredients are well combined. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. 
On a large platter, add some washed and torn Romaine lettuce. Top with asparagus and drizzle the dressing over everything. Sprinkle the salad with chopped smoked chopped almonds, additional pecorino, and pepper.

Guten Appetit!
Recipe from Food and Wine Magazine (April 2025)
Posted by sunnycovechef.com  

​Happy Easter to all of you! Here are some Easter Stories from previous posts, filled with recipes and travel stories! Enjoy.
​                Easter in Germany and deviled eggs
​                Celebrating Easter in Germany
​             Avacado Toast preserved lemons, and Easter in Germany

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