One of the (many) great things about living on the East End of Long Island is the incredible access to fresh, local produce throughout the Spring, Summer, and early Fall months! Living on the North Fork we are very lucky to have so many incredible local farms and access to an abundance of local produce at our fingertips. That is something that we never take for granted and try to enjoy as much as possible!
Warm weather brings lots of delicious produce to the farm stands and of the most patiently (or not so patiently) awaited items is asparagus! It is hard to find an East End BBQ that doesn’t have farm stand asparagus on the grill and grilled asparagus is delicious, but if you are looking to mix it up and try something a little different, we highly recommend this salad!
Ingredients
- 1 box Sfoglini brand trumpet pasta (or a short, curly pasta of your choice)
- 2 bunches asparagus, ends trimmed
- 1 bunch baby spinach, washed and dried
- 1 can Roman Beans
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Champagne vinegar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 4 ozs Catapano herb goat cheese
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 cup beets, roasted and sliced (optional)
- 1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc
Directions
- Add pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, snap/trim the ends off the asparagus and slice asparagus on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat a sauté pan with olive oil. Place the asparagus in the pan and season with kosher salt and pepper. Sauté on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- In a small bowl, combine shallot, mustard, Champagne vinaigrette and lemon juice. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add chives.
- In a small sauté pan toast pine nuts, stirring constantly until browned and fragrant but not burnt.
- Add pasta, asparagus (while still slightly warm) and beans to a large bowl. Add the goat cheese and toss until well combined. Add spinach and season salad with salt and pepper, to your taste, and toss again.
- Top with toasted pine nuts, lemon zest and additional chives.
- Serve with a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy!
