OWN CORRESPONDENT
Warm asparagus and crumbled feta salad
Ingredients
400 g fresh green asparagus
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
200 g baby rosa tomatoes
Olive oil for drizzling
Herbamare® organic herb seasoning salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup ready-made basil pesto
200 g feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Method
1. To cook the perfect asparagus, trim the hard woody stems and wash well in cold water. Place the asparagus in salted boiling water with a squeeze of lemon juice.
2. Cook thin-stemmed asparagus for approximately 3 minutes – thicker stems require about 6 minutes. To check if the asparagus are cooked, remove one from the pot. If the tip bends, it is ready. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
4. Arrange the tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with the seasoning salt and pepper, and roast until just soft. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the basil pesto.
5. Sprinkle over the crumbled feta and return to the oven for a few minutes until the feta is warm.
6. Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Spoon the tomatoes, feta and pesto over the asparagus. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and basil.
Variation
Boil the asparagus as in the above recipe. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the asparagus in an ovenproof dish and dot with small blobs of 75 g softened butter. Sprinkle over ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese and ½ cup flaked and toasted almonds. Warm in the oven and serve immediately.
Serves 4–6
