Asparagus Salad with Poached Egg and Homemade Citrus Vinaigrette

Day two of Stupendous Summer Salad Week. In the summer my parents don’t turn on the AC until June. Because of that I think I got accustomed to eating salads all summer long – it was too hot to eat anything else. And you can only make so many green lettuce tomato salads, so we’re doing one of my favorite vegetables today — asparagus.

This is an easy salad that is easy to make and can be eaten by itself or as a side that will elevate any meal. I made it originally with white and green asparagus, but I decided I like green asparagus better, so that’s what I suggest.:)

Photo Credit: su-lin (Creative Commons)

I started with this recipe from Food and Wine and changed some thing on account of I can’t be cooking asparagus twelve different ways for one dish. Also, I tweaked the vinaigrette.

1 tablespoon of orange juice
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon of pickled ginger juice (use straight from the jar)
1 teaspoon of Bragg’s Amino Acid
1 teaspoons of wasabi paste
1 small shallot minced
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 pound of green asparagus
4 large eggs

1. In a small bowl whisk together juices, amino acids, wasabi, shallot and sesame oil.
2. Bring a 4 quart sauce pan of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. Remove with tons and shock in cold ice water. Remove and set on platter.
3. Crack whole eggs into small bowls.  Return asparagus water to a simmer. When simmering, stir water to create a small vortex and slip eggs into water. Poach over moderate heat for 4 minutes, remove each egg using slotted spoon and put on plate.
4. Spoon vinaigrette over asparagus, top with poached eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serve with: Seared Duck

Drink with: Chablis. Chablis are dry full bodied white wines that can stand up to a heavier dish and still be refreshing in the Georgia (or wherever you are) heat.