Healthy Dinner: Green Asparagus Salad with Marjoram Bright green asparagus is served with baby squid sautéed in butter and sprinkled with marjoram on a bed mesclum in this succulent gourmet salad appetizer or healthy dinner. Seasoned with an ambrosial dressing made with veal fond, squid carcass, cognac, dry white wine, oil, and vinegar, green asparagus salad with squid and marjoram is something refreshing and new to try for the adventurous gourmand.
Use various types of salad greens for more color and texture. Arugula, chervil, romaine, and endives are great choices for cooking recipes because they have different levels of crunch and flavors. The various shades of green are very pleasing to the eyes. Sprinkled with the bright green asparagus, it appears like a contemporary abstract painting. Asparagus has a district and savory flavor, and is considered a luxurious delicacy. Young slender asparagus are very crunchy and have superior taste. There are many varieties of asparagus, differing in colors; there’s purple asparagus, which is typically French, then there’s white asparagus from Spain and the Netherlands. In this recipe, green asparagus is used. Most American and British asparagus varieties are bright green in color. It is best during the months of May until July. When buying asparagus choose those with perky tips and straight and firm shoots. Avoid those that are limp and have a dull color. To prepare asparagus, wash them in cold water. Snap off the woody end, and if it’s too tough, use a paring knife to peel and reveal the under flesh beneath. Asparagus takes only about three to five minutes to cook depending on its size. It should be tender but retain a lot its crunch. Ingredients: green asparagus, baby squid, dried orange peel, marjoram, olive oil (perfumed with garlic), sugar, espelette pepper, mesclum (chervil, leafy lettuces, endive in equal proportions), sea
salt, fine salt, xeres vinegar (sherry vinegar), American sauce, cognac, aromatic garnishing, dry white wine, tomato, veal fond (stock), mixed greens Preparation Instructions: Clean and prepare the asparagus. Boil in water with salt and sugar for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Clean and dry the baby squid. Sauté in a pan with olive oil and garlic on a small flame about 30 seconds. Season with salt, espelette, chopped marjoram, minced orange peel. In a saucepan, combine veal fond, baby squid carcass, dry white wine, aromatic herbs, cognac. Reduce until thick. Add sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix salad greens to make a mesclum. Season with olive oil and sea salt. Place in the middle of the serving plate. Sprinkled chopped tomatoes. Place asparagus on top of the salad. Arrange squid around the plate. Pour sauce over the plate and serve.
In this recipe, the carcass of the squid is used to make the sauce so don’t throw it away after cleaning and preparing the squid. To prepare the squid, pull the tentacles away from the body and feel inside the body for the shard of plastic, known as quill. Pull this out and rinse the body with cold water. Take out any jelly-like substances. Pull the wing-like flaps and purplish skin, leaving only the white meat for sautéing.
Source: www.gourmandia.com