Refined asparagus salad

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 handful of pine nuts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon(s), juice
• 0.1 liter balsamic vinegar, white
• 1 shot of white wine, e.g., Riesling
• 2 spring onions
• 500 g asparagus, white and/or green
• 300 g ham, cooked, smoked or Serrano (San Daniele)
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 4 leaves of wild garlic
• Salt
• Pepper, colorful

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

fresh, light and a feast for the eyes – goes with almost everything – as a starter or main course

Add the pine nuts to a pan with olive oil and toast briefly, but do not allow them to overbrown, or they will taste bitter. Salt the nuts and set aside. Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice into a bowl. Finely slice the spring onions and add them. Season everything with balsamic vinegar, white wine, salt, and pepper. Whisk the mixture thoroughly. This should yield about 100 ml of dressing. Add the pine nuts and olive oil and mix thoroughly. A smooth emulsion should form. Place the cooked ham in a container. Cover with aluminum foil and pierce it several times. Heat the ham gently in the oven at 150-200 °C for about 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat the ham in a pan or microwave, but this can dry it out. Air-dried ham is best served without heating (at room temperature). Peel the asparagus and cut it lengthwise into thin slices. Then place the slices in a dish that’s as oval as possible (e.g., a lasagna dish) and pour the dressing over them. Cover with a lid or cling film. Let the asparagus stand for about 20 minutes, stirring several times during this time. Finely chop or mince the wild garlic, quarter the cherry tomatoes, and add them to the asparagus at the very end. Stir everything together again. When the dish is ready after about 20 minutes, arrange everything on a platter or plates and serve. Serve with fresh baguette and a fresh, fruity, not-too-dry white wine, such as Palatinate Riesling or Württemberg “Blanc de Noir”—or even a hearty spritzer. As an appetizer, you can easily halve the ingredients. As an alternative to ham, all common asparagus side dishes are also suitable, such as beef or veal fillet and fish, or—for a meatless dish—potatoes in all variations.