Asparagus salad

The weather here has been fantastic.  Warm, sunny, and perfect for grilling.  Sunday night I brined a pork loin and tossed it on the grill.  Since we were grilling, I really didn't want to be stuck in the house making something to go with pork.  Rigby wanted Brussels sprout slaw and hubby wanted asparagus.  Earlier in the week I had spotted this recipe in my favorite cook book and decided to make both.  Rigby doesn't eat asparagus, EVER.

This asparagus salad is amazing.  It looks impressive, tastes amazing, and is super simple to make.  Cutting the asparagus and onions along with grating the cheese was the most time consuming part of the recipe.  What about cooking time you say, there is none.  Not one pot or pan needed for this recipe.  Just a bowl, a cutting board, a knife, and a measuring cup.  Oh yeah, and a grater, unless you buy or cheese already grated, then skip that.

Asparagus Salad

Source: Anne Burrell, Cook Like a Rock Star

• One bunch asparagus
• 1 small red onion
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt to taste

After the asparagus has been washed, remove the woody part of the stem.  (I do this by bending the asparagus and where it breaks is where the woody part ends.  I then use that piece of asparagus as my stencil and cut the woody part off the remaining asparagus in the bunch.)  Cut asparagus spears into rounds. 

Finely dice the red onion.

Grate the cheese.  If using pre-grated cheese, skip this step.

In a bowl, combine the red onion, asparagus, and grated cheese.  Drizzle 1/4 cup red wine vinegar over the asparagus, season with salt, and toss to coat.  Drizzle with some olive oil, toss again, taste, and adjust salt and vinegar if needed.

Serve room temperature of chilled.  Enjoy!