Serves 4
Have you noticed any “new” vegetables in the grocery store? During the last decade, the nations growers and processors have worked hard to meet foodservice and consumer needs. Some efforts that are at least a decade old, are finally ready for dinner. No longer on the drawing board, is a new broccoli-Chinese kale hybrid known as asparation or broccolini. The elegant vegetable resembles broccoli, but has a slender stalk topped with a delicate floret. The taste is milder and sweeter than broccoli with a hint of spice in the top buds. Hand-cultivated and requiring more care than broccoli, asparation must be harvested several times during the year, resulting in slightly higher prices. The feature I like about it is that it requires almost no preparation. It is very consistent with an excellent crunch and is a gourmet item right from the get-go. With this vegetable you can let your imagination go wild, it won’t let you down.
Ingredients
- 4 Bunches of Asparation
- 1 Cucumber, sliced
- 1 Roasted Pepper, sliced
- For the dressing
- 4 Garlic Cloves, sliced thin
- 4 oz. Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Mustard
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Steam the asparation to al dente firmness and cool in ice bath. To make the dressing, combine the virgin olive oil, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and salt & pepper, and mix well. Add the dressing to the asparation and toss to coat thoroughly, decorate the plate with the roasted peppers and cucumber slices, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve chilled