Lukewarm artichoke and avocado salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 lettuce hearts, fresh
• 1 artichoke(s), fresh (depending on size)
• 1 lemon(s), (the juice)
• 1 m.-sized avocado(s), not too ripe (rather still firm in the flesh)
• 100 g sugar snap peas
• 100 g mushrooms (oyster mushrooms)
• e.g. vegetable oil (rapeseed/sunflower)
• 20 g pine nuts
• 3 m.-large shallot(s)
• 1 tbsp mustard, medium hot (Dijon)
• 4 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, white (“Bianco”)
• 6 tbsp extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• 1 pinch of chili powder
• n. B. salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 6 tbsp vegetable stock or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp pumpkin seed oil
• ½ tsp oregano, dried and chopped
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• e.g. Parmesan, sliced ​​from a piece

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Mediterranean salad with mushrooms, snow peas, pine nuts and vinaigrette

I always prepare the vinaigrette first: Clean and dice the shallots. Sauté them briefly in a little olive oil in a pan until translucent. Transfer the shallots to a bowl suitable for a whisk. Next, add the mustard, balsamic bianco, chili, vegetable stock, olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, and oregano. Whisk vigorously and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Let it rest and whisk again vigorously before serving. Now for the salad: We need the base of the artichoke. To do this, first break off the stem. Now, with a serrated knife, cut off about two-thirds of the top of the artichoke. Now, with a paring knife, remove the green part all around the bottom part until only the light-colored center remains. Inside the artichoke are a kind of “threads” that need to be completely scraped out with a spoon. Then, immediately rub the artichoke base with lemon juice to prevent it from darkening. Quarter the base and cut approximately 3 to 4 mm thick slices from the quarters. Immediately rub with lemon juice again to prevent discoloration. Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Now peel the halves of the skin with a vegetable peeler and halve them again. Cut 3 to 4 mm thick slices from the quarters and rub with lemon juice. Trim, wash, and cut the snow peas into thirds. King oyster mushrooms are an interesting alternative to porcini mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms, but are also affordable. You can find these mushrooms in any good supermarket these days, usually already cleaned. I prefer the very, very small ones, which I don’t even have to cut. A “whole” mushroom looks very elegant in a salad. If you only get large ones, please cut them into pieces similar to the artichoke base and avocado. Now I prepare a bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients. I fry the artichoke, avocado, snow pea, and mushrooms individually in a little neutral oil in the pan until they reach the desired degree of crunch, and then add the ingredients to the bowl. I personally like the ingredients a little firmer, “al dente,” so to speak. Finally, I toast the pine nuts all over in a little oil. Without oil, the nuts tend to burn—so I add them to the bowl, mix everything, and carefully season with a little salt and pepper. Not too much, because the vinaigrette is already seasoned. Now, simply cut the lettuce hearts into thin slices, starting at the tip. Distribute the sliced ​​lettuce hearts evenly on salad plates as a base. Place the fried (still warm) ingredients in the center of the pan. Spoon the vinaigrette evenly over the top. Please don’t drown them. Now let the salad rest for a moment and then shave a few strips of Parmesan cheese from the whole piece over it, perhaps with a vegetable peeler. This looks nicer than grated Parmesan. It’s actually a salad garnish or appetizer, but with fresh bread, it also makes a great light main course.