Recipes

Asparagus, blood orange and wild rice salad

Asparagus, blood orange and wild rice salad. Photograph: Harry Weir

Vanessa Greenwood
Sat May 14 2016 - 03:00
Serves: 6
Course: Starter
Cooking Time: 0 hr 20 mins
Ingredients
  • Serves 6
  • 500g asparagus spears, woody ends snapped off
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (or rapeseed oil)
  • 100g wild rice
  • 5 blood oranges, or normal oranges (half of one reserved for the dressing)
  • 100g mixed seasonal salad leaves or rocket
  • Half a red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 150g cheese (chunks of feta or goat’s or shavings of Coolea or Cáis na Tíre)
  • 150g pistachio nuts, shelled and chopped
  • For the dressing:
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Half a tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Bring the wild rice to the boil with 350mls of water and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 25 minutes, then drain it and allow the rice to cool.

Place the asparagus spears on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and season them. Roast for eight minutes in an oven preheated to 190 degrees/gas 5. When they’ve cooled down, diagonally cut each asparagus spear into three pieces.

Cut away the peel from the oranges and slice each orange into discs

To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, zest and the juice of half an orange. Season to taste.

Just before presenting on a platter, place the salad leaves and wild rice in a large bowl and drizzle with a small amount of the dressing. Stir to lightly coat the wild rice and leaves and transfer to a platter.

Next, arrange the asparagus, oranges and red onions on top, before drizzling over the remaining dressing. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Lastly, scatter the cheese and pistachios over the top and serve.

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