E is for: Escarole, Endive, Radicchio & Shaved Asparagus Salad

As you know, April was National Grilled Cheese Month. Conveniently, May is National Salad Month. I don’t know about you, but I could definitely stand to mix in some roughage after indulging in bread and melted cheese for four weeks.

And guess what? As my loyal blog readers, you get to celebrate with me! To help kick off the Month of May, I’m sharing a bright and fresh salad of escarole, endive, radicchio and shaved asparagus tossed with a lemon vinaigrette to celebrate spring and the month of salads.

When my mom and I dined at Baker & Banker a few weeks ago, she ordered a dish that claimed to be served with asparagus. At first, she was disappointed to not see any asparagus on her plate until we realized the beautiful ribbons surrounding her fish were actually thinly shaved asparagus spears. Ever since, I’ve been wanting to use this idea in a dish, and a salad seemed like the perfect opportunity.

It’s really pretty easy. All you need is a pound of fresh, washed asparagus and a vegetable peeler to shave them super thin. My friend and chef, Kasey Passen, suggests also blanching the ribbons for a minute to help cut down on the bitterness. (Coincidentally, she just made a similar salad a couple days ago). You can also leave them raw if you like…or do a combination of both!

For the rest of the greens, I used a combination of escarole, endive and radicchio. (OR…you can use one of DOLE’s new salad blends. The Mediterranean Blend uses all three!) I also mixed in some fresh mint, which was a perfect compliment to the lemon vinaigrette; a mixture of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard and garlic.

Toss everything together and top with toasted pine nuts and sheep’s milk feta. Happy Salad Month!

Escarole, Endive, Radicchio & Shaved Asparagus Salad

by Jaymee Sire

Keywords: salad gluten-free low-carb vegetarian low-fat asparagus endive escarole feta

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Ingredients (4 salads)

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
8 ounce mixture of escarole, endive & radicchio
2 tablespoons mint, chiffonade
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
crumbled sheep’s milk feta cheese

Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler, shave asparagus into thin ribbons. Toss ribbons with lettuces and mint.
Combine lemon juice, zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic and sugar and whisk vigorously until everything is well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss greens mixture with enough dressing to just coat. Plate salads and sprinkle with pine nuts and goat cheese.