SPRING SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, GOAT CHEESE, LEMON AND HAZELNUTS - PROUD ITALIAN COOK

Spring Salad with Asparagus, Goat Cheese, lemon and Hazelnuts - Proud Italian Cook image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 bunch of asparagus,on the thin side but thick enough to cut in half lengthwise.
1 cup fresh peas, or frozen and defrosted
½ cup of cooked and prepped fava beans, you could use frozen defrosted lima beans
5 radishes, thinly sliced
2 medium raw zucchini made into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, (no seeds)
½ bunch of red leaf lettuce chopped bite size and a generous handful of arugula mixed together or combination of salad greens of your choice
4 oz. of chevre goat cheese, I used the one with honey
the zest of one lemon, you can cut up a few slices for garnish after
½ cup of toasted hazelnuts, slightly cracked open
shaved Parmigiano Reggiano for top of salad
extra lemons for dressing
olive oil

Steps:

Roast your asparagus on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil for maybe 5 or 10 minutes on 375 just until the raw taste is gone, you don't want limp asparagus they should still have a good bite to them, so keep checking. Cool them off and them slice them lengthwise.
Make a lemon and olive oil dressing using 2 parts fresh lemon juice to 4 parts olive oil.
In a bowl mash up your goat cheese and loosen it up with 2 tablespoons of the lemon dressing.
Gently toss and coat sliced asparagus into the mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste.
On a large platter assemble the greens, peas, fava beans, radishes, zucchini ribbons all over ending with the goat cheese coated asparagus on top.
Sprinkle the toasted nuts all around.
Spoon lemon dressing all around, as much as you think you need.
Add shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano on top.
Garnish with a few lemon slices.