Asparagus and witloof salad with blue cheese and walnut crumble
26/11/2012
Serves 6
With salads like these, I understand why people become vegetarian. There is no need for extra protein here. Asparagus, walnuts and blue cheese . . . say no more.
Blue cheese ranch dressing
| 1 cup | Mayonnaise |
| ½ cup | Sour cream |
| ½ cup | Milk |
| ¼ cup | Blue cheese |
Walnut crumble
| ¼ cup | Olive oil |
| 30 g | Butter |
| 3 cups | Bread, stale and cut into very small cubes |
| 1 tbsp | Fresh thyme, finely chopped |
| 1 cup | Walnut pieces |
To serve
| 1 kg | Asparagus, woody stalk discarded and stem cut into 2-inch pieces |
| 3 | Witloof, halved and thinly sliced |
| 3 | Pears, quartered, seeds removed and thinly sliced |
| 2 handfuls | Mizuna |
| 50 g | Blue cheese, crumbled |
Directions
Blue cheese ranch dressing
- Place all the ingredients in a suitable sized mixing bowl. Whisk together to combine.
- Season to taste with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until required.
Walnut crumble
- Place a skillet or frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil and butter. Once melted, toss in the cubed bread and thyme.
- Coat with the butter and oil, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until lightly golden.
- Toss in the walnuts and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the nuts start to turn golden.
- Tip onto a paper towel-lined tray and allow to cool. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Store in an airtight container until required.
To serve
- Bring hot salted water to a boil in a large saucepan and cook asparagus for 2 minutes until just soft. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the asparagus, whitloof, pear and mizuna. Dress lightly with blue cheese ranch dressing until combined.
- Transfer salad to a serving platter and finish it off with crumbled blue cheese, walnut crumble and a grind of black pepper.
- Serve with a little more dressing on the side for people to help themselves.
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