Shaved Asparagus Salad with Roasted Cauliflower, Avocado, Pine Nuts, and Parmigiano
Delicate ribbons of raw spring asparagus tossed with peppery arugula, creamy avocado, warm golden roasted cauliflower, toasted pine nuts, and shaved Parmigiano, in a bright lemon vinaigrette. Fresh and crisp, warm and cool, and hearty enough for a light lunch.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 20 min · Total: 40 min · Best in North America in spring, when asparagus is at its sweetest · Best eaten: midday or early evening
Ingredients
Roasted cauliflower
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Salad
1 lb asparagus (thin spears are best), tough ends trimmed
4 cups baby arugula
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to finish
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Optional: 2 tbsp fresh mint, torn
Lemon vinaigrette
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of ½ lemon
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Optional: ½ tsp raw honey
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and ¼ tsp black pepper
To finish: flaky sea salt and a drizzle of your best olive oil
Method
Roast the cauliflower. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the florets with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, spread them in a single layer on a sheet pan, and roast 20–25 minutes, tossing once, until golden and caramelized at the edges.
Toast the pine nuts. While the cauliflower roasts, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, tossing often, until golden. Move them to a plate right away, since they burn quickly.
Shave the asparagus. Working from the tip end, shave each spear into long, thin ribbons with a Y-peeler. (Or slice the spears very thinly on a sharp diagonal.) Save the tough ends for broth.
Make the vinaigrette. Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar.
Toss. In a large bowl, gently toss the asparagus ribbons, arugula, parsley, and mint with most of the vinaigrette.
Assemble. Pile the salad on a platter, and scatter the warm cauliflower, avocado, pine nuts, and shaved Parmigiano over the top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette, and finish with flaky salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve right away.
Make it a meal: Add halved hard-boiled pasture-raised eggs, grilled halloumi, wild salmon, or roast chicken.
Storage
The dressed salad is best within a few hours, since the asparagus ribbons soften. Undressed, the shaved asparagus keeps refrigerated up to 24 hours, the roasted cauliflower up to 4 days, and the vinaigrette up to 1 week. Add the avocado just before serving.
A note on honey: The raw honey in the vinaigrette stays raw, since it's never heated. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Asparagus — folate (one of the richest food sources), vitamin K, glutathione, and inulin, a prebiotic fiber. Eaten raw, it keeps all of its heat-sensitive folate and vitamin C.
Cauliflower — glucosinolates (the precursors to sulforaphane and DIM, which support estrogen metabolism), vitamin C, choline, and vitamin K.
Arugula — glucosinolates, vitamin K, and folate, with a peppery bite.
Avocado — potassium, folate, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats, which help you absorb the vegetables' fat-soluble vitamins.
Pine nuts — zinc, magnesium, vitamin E, and pinolenic acid, a fatty acid unique to pine nuts.
Parmigiano-Reggiano — calcium, protein, and vitamin K2.
Lemon and parsley — vitamin C, vitamin K, and apigenin.
Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid and polyphenols.
For your cycle: The asparagus's folate and the cauliflower and arugula's glucosinolates make this especially lovely in the follicular and ovulatory phases, and the pine nuts bring zinc and magnesium.
Sourcing
Asparagus — organic, thin spears, from a farmers' market in spring
Cauliflower, arugula, parsley, mint, garlic, and lemons — organic, from a farmers' market
Avocados — organic Hass, ripe but firm (avocados grow in warm climates, so they're shipped in to northern regions)
Pine nuts — organic, Italian or Mediterranean (some imported pine nuts can cause a temporary bitter taste called "pine mouth"), kept in the fridge
Parmigiano-Reggiano — DOP, aged 24+ months, made from raw milk by law; look for the stamped rind
Dijon mustard — organic, with no preservatives or sugar; Delouis Fils or Maison Orphée
Raw honey (optional) — organic, local, and unfiltered
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall