The Big Glut Recipe – May

Super spring salad

It had to be something asparagus for this month’s Big Glut recipe and a healthy one it is with bags of flavour. John Torode’s recipe from Saturday Kitchen

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

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanch the potatoes, drain and carefully slice in half. 
2. 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.
3. Spread on a tray with the potatoes. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
4. Put the purple asparagus in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt to cure and soften. 
5. 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. 
6. Mix all of the vegetables with the shallots, mint, chervil, watercress and pea shoots and pour over the dressing. 
7. Divide between four plates and dig in.