Warm asparagus salad with borlotti beans and mortadella

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 100 g dried beans (borlotti), alternatively white or other beans from the can
• 200 ml olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, young
• 1 sprig(s) sage
• 500 g tomatoes
• 4 tbsp vinegar (sherry vinegar)
• ½ bunch basil
• ½ bunch parsley
• 100 g arugula
• 1 kg white asparagus
• 100 g celeriac or 3 stalks celery
• 75 g sausage (mortadella)
• 50 g Parmesan, sliced
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Place the beans in a pot with 100 ml olive oil, 1 peeled garlic clove, and the sage sprig, and cover with plenty of cold water. Simmer uncovered in a pot over low heat for about 2 hours, until the beans are tender. Add more water if necessary. Peel and core the tomatoes. Cut the flesh into small cubes. Mix the remaining olive oil with the sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper. Peel the garlic and press it in. Pluck the basil and parsley leaves from the stems, finely chop, and mix in. Wash and trim the arugula, and spin dry. Peel the asparagus and cut into 5-6 cm long diagonal pieces. Drain the cooked beans in a sieve and carefully mix them with the tomatoes into the herb vinaigrette. Trim and peel the celery root and slice it into very fine strips using a mandoline, or trim and wash the celery, remove the strings, and then cut it into fine slices. Mix the celery into the vinaigrette. Add the asparagus pieces to a little boiling salted water and cook for 5-7 minutes. Cut the mortadella into very fine strips. Drain the asparagus in a bowl and toss it with the herb vinaigrette while it’s still hot. Fold in the mortadella strips and season the salad to taste, if desired. Arrange the asparagus salad on plates and scatter the arugula loosely over the salad. Grate the Parmesan cheese over the salad. Serve with a baguette.