Sign Up for the Recipe Publishing Newsletter
Asparagus Salad Recipe with Eggplant and Bell Pepper
What a delicious asparagus salad recipe this one is! The asparagus is grilled with bell pepper and eggplant and served with pine nuts and seasoned olive oil. You can use any kind of olive oil for this asparagus salad, since it is mainly to keep the veggies moist and succulent while they grill to perfection. The eggplant is soft and provides a nice contrast to the bell pepper and asparagus, both of which are best if they have some bite to them - aim to cook these al dente.
Try a lemon seasoned olive oil or a garlic one. It is best to cook the vegetables on a greased grill rack (cooking spray is a handy way to grease it, but spray it before the fire is hot) and turn them when they begin to char on one side. The vegetables should be grilled until they are tender but still crisp.
The plum vinaigrette is a heavenly concoction of plums, sage, garlic, honey, orange juice and more. You can use a store-bought vinaigrette to save time if you like but this one is so unusual and so good with the grilled vegetable recipe flavors that it is well worth making. You can serve this salad warm or chilled. If you want to serve the vegetables warm, then make sure the vinaigrette is made by the time you take the veggies off the grill.
Eggplant and Asparagus Salad with a Plum Vinaigrette
Ingredients -
1 eggplant, in ½ inch thick slices
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 sliced red bell pepper
1 lb fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons seasoned olive oil
For the Plum Vinaigrette:
1 minced shallot
1 oz orange juice
2 pitted red plums
2 oz olive oil
2 sage leaves
1 oz rice wine vinegar
1 finely minced clove garlic
1 tablespoon honey
Salt, to taste
Preparation:
Trim the ends of the asparagus.
Arrange the sliced eggplant on a baking sheet and sprinkle salt over it.
Let it stand for half an hour, then pat the slices with a paper towel to remove the moisture.
Drizzle the asparagus, bell pepper, and eggplant with seasoned oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over them.
Grill the vegetables on a greased grill rack for a couple of minutes.
Turn them over and grill the other side until it is slightly charred.
Let the vegetables cool a bit, and then arrange them on a platter.
Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top. Puree the pitted plums in a blender with the orange juice.
Stir in the shallots, honey, vinegar, garlic, olive oil, salt, and sage.
Drizzle this dressing over the grilled vegetables.
(Serves 8)
Photo Description:
This colorful and appetizing asparagus salad recipe is a combination of grilled vegetables and a tasty homemade vinaigrette. The pine nuts add flavor, as do the fresh herbs. If you like asparagus salad recipes, you are going to love this one. This salad is a nice side dish or a complete meal. If you are looking for interesting vegetarian recipes, you will not go wrong with this one because it combines classic flavors with gourmet ingredients, resulting in a very impressive dish. This salad looks very appetizing because of the colors and it tastes heavenly.
