Asparagus Spring panzanella
This was an attempt to make one of my favourite salads, the Tuscan bread and tomato salad panzanella, before I could get my hands on good tomatoes. The result bears very little resemblance to a panzanella, but is still wonderful. It is all doused in a simple buttermilk dressing and backed up by some sweet and sticky charred lemon slices. Simple, vibrant spring eating.
- Serves
- 4
- Duration
- Under 30 mins
Ingredients
For the salad
- 150g seeded bread, torn into rough 3cm pieces
- A small bunch of thyme, leaves picked
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, sliced thinly
- 500g asparagus
- 100g podded peas, defrosted if frozen
- 150g podded broad beans, defrosted if frozen
- 100g baby spinach
- A small bunch of basil, leaves picked
- 25g parmesan (I use a vegetarian one)
For the dressing
- 150ml buttermilk
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and black pepper
Bring a pan of water to boil + make the dressing
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, combine all the dressing ingredients in a clean jam jar, shake really well and season to taste. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to dress the salad.
Make the croutons
Put the bread chunks in an ovenproof dish and spread out into a single layer. Sprinkle with thyme, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Slice the lemon
Using a small serrated knife, slice the lemon as thinly as you can and arrange the pieces on a separate oven tray. Bake the bread and lemon until the bread is crisp and golden and the lemon is charred and sticky – this will take about 10 minutes.
Prep the asparagus
Meanwhile, snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them (you can use them for stock, if you like). Chop the asparagus stems into 1cm rounds, stopping when you get near the top and keeping the tips intact.
Blanch the asparagus, peas + beans
Next, blanch the asparagus in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the peas and broad beans for a further couple of minutes. Then drain immediately and leave in a colander to steam dry: don’t be tempted to run them under cold water – this will take away all of their flavour. If you like, you can double pod the broad beans, removing their tough, sometimes bitter outer skins.
Dress + serve
Tip all the blanched vegetables into a serving dish with the toasted bread, spinach and basil leaves. Pour over most of the dressing and mix well with your hands, so that everything is well dressed and the bread begins to soften. Top with the charred lemon slices and use a vegetable peeler to shred the parmesan over the top of the salad in thin petals.
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