This vegetarian salad is simply bursting with the fresh flavours of spring, the perfect meal for a sun soaked day.
Ingredients
For the spring salad
- 12 Jersey Royal potatoes
- 10 green asparagus spears, sliced on an angle
- 150g/5½oz young broad beans, podded
- 150g/5½oz peas, podded
- 150g/5½oz fresh or frozen soy beans
- 3 spring onions, sliced on an angle
- drizzle of olive oil
- 4 purple asparagus spears, sliced using a peeler
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2 shallots, cut into rings
- 15 mint leaves, 10 torn, 5 shredded
- small bunch of chervil
- handful watercress
- punnet of pea shoots
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 5 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp walnut oil
- 300ml/10½oz extra virgin olive oil
Method
-
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanch the potatoes, drain and carefully slice in half.
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in the green asparagus, broad beans, peas, soy beans and spring onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop them cooking but not to cool them.
-
Spread on a tray with the potatoes. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
-
Put the purple asparagus in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt to cure and soften.
-
For the dressing, whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a bowl, slowly adding the oils. It should have a thick consistency, like a sauce. Season with a good amount of salt and black pepper.
-
Mix all of the vegetables with the shallots, mint, chervil, watercress and pea shoots and pour over the dressing.
-
Divide between four plates and dig in.