Asparagus and Wild Herb Salad with Almond Croutons

Sometimes things turn out differently than you think - while searching for new asparagus recipes, I stumbled upon the e&t website and discovered an asparagus poppy seed variant that intrigued me. Unfortunately, on Whit Monday, it’s difficult to find blue poppy seeds, especially when the expected stock has mysteriously disappeared from the cupboard - could it have been used up during last Christmas’s baking? No matter, I make do with other ingredients, but keep the basic recipe. This creates a delicious, summery asparagus variant that doesn’t seem to fit the too-gray, too-cold-for-humid weather.

First, as always - peel 1 kilogram of asparagus and cut off the woody ends. The season routine is coming back ;) The asparagus goes onto a baking sheet with parchment paper, the ends of which I’ve slightly twisted. This forms a tray for the mixture of 150 ml water, 4 tablespoons olive oil, and salt, intended to protect the asparagus in the oven from drying out. The tray goes into the oven at 200°C top/bottom heat for half an hour.

During that time, the small boiled potatoes can cook and be peeled, which I add to the dish. I also gather whatever greens I can find in the garden. Arugula, ground elder, dandelion, nasturtium, and various forms and colors of lettuce go into the sieve and are thoroughly rinsed and spun dry.

Then it’s time for the vinaigrette: 6 tablespoons orange juice, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 5 tablespoons maple syrup, 3 tablespoons mustard, 3 tablespoons walnut oil, and plenty of pepper and salt make a thin, but aromatic vinaigrette. I leave out the pink berries of the original, they’re too dominant for me. I also skip the goat cheese that’s supposed to be in there. It’s not missed - instead of the intended roasted poppy seeds, there’s now roughly shredded old spelt bread. It goes into the food processor, along with a handful of unpeeled almonds. The charming name “Speedy Pro” always amazes me ;) The processor does its job, and I sift out the fine crumbs with a coarse sieve - I only want the coarse ones today. They go into the pan, along with some oregano and olive oil, and roast until they are crispy and aromatic.

To serve, I put the asparagus with a few lightly crushed potatoes on the plates, then the salad on top, and finally plenty of vinaigrette and the croutons. Brilliant vegan cuisine!

asparagus salad with wild herbs and small croutons, soft light