Raw asparagus with mint, lemon, goat’s cheese and pea tops

Raw asparagus with mint, lemon, goat’s cheese and pea tops

Spring

I planted six asparagus crowns in the little veg garden. They’ve produced lots of striking purple spears for the last two years, but I haven’t been allowed to harvest any of them. Instead, I’ve watched the slender stems climb towards the sky, open and flower in lacy clouds that sway in the wind like green rain. Next year I’ll be able to cut my first harvest, the plants will be strong enough to share their power. I know I’ll want to eat it raw, I want to eat everything raw if I’ve grown it myself. This salad is a preemption, a proposal, a save-the-date.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

  • a large bunch of asparagus
  • 1 large lemon
  • 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
  • a large handful of mint, leaves picked
  • 100g (3½oz) soft goat’s cheese
  • a handful of pea or broad (fava) bean tops (optional)

For the lemon dressing

  • 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4–5 chives, very finely sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Cut off and discard the lower 1–2cm (½–¾in) from the asparagus spears – this part can sometimes be woody. One at a time, place the spears along the edge of a thickish chopping board and use a regular vegetable peeler to shave long, thin ribbons from them. Start from just below the tip and run down to the base. You’ll find the last pass will probably just yield the skin, which you can either include or discard, depending on how tender it is. Split the actual tips in half and place them in a large bowl with all the shavings.

Finely grate the zest from half the lemon and pop the zest in a small jar or bowl. This is for the dressing. Cut 1–2cm (½–¾in) from each end of the lemon, then set it down on the board so it’s sitting on a flat end. Use a small, sharp knife to work your way around the lemon to slice away all the remaining skin and the pith to reveal the juicy flesh. Now separate all the individual segments by running the knife down one side of the membrane holding each segment, then down the other. Set the segments aside and reserve the empty membrane.

Make the dressing. Squeeze the juice from the empty lemon membrane into the jar or bowl with the zest. Add the sugar, along with the sunflower and extra-virgin olive oils, the chives and the Dijon mustard. Season with some salt and pepper. If you’re using a jar, put the lid on tight and shake vigorously to combine. In a bowl, stir well to combine.

Cut the little lemon segments each into two or three pieces and add them to the shaved asparagus along with the spring onions (scallions), half the mint leaves, half the salad dressing and some salt and pepper. Tumble everything together gently, then lift it out of the bowl on to a large plate. Crumble over the soft goat’s cheese and scatter over the pea or bean tops, if using. Spoon over the remaining dressing and sprinkle over the remaining mint, then serve.

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