may recipe - make the most of asparagus!

GRILLED SWEETCORN AND ASPARAGUS WITH RICOTTA, GOJI BERRIES AND HONEY DRESSING

First published in Savour by Peter Gordon, published by Jacqui Small (2016)

This is the first of 2 salads from Savour by Peter Gordon, and it was the easiest to choose, considering the book is packed with amazing salads as this is my wife’s favourite. When asparagus season arrives, this is the dish she always requests, and I am more than happy to prepare as it tastes delicious. Goji berries are not always easy to get hold of and I have sometimes substituted dried cranberries, but please don’t substitute any of the other ingredients.

Ingredients
2 Corn cobs
1 1/2 tsp Extra Virgin olive oil
800g Asparagus
2 Handfuls of Salad leaves
2 tbsp Goji Berries
250g Ricotta Cheese
2 tbsp Sunflower seeds - lightly toasted in a dry pan
1 Orange
 
Honey dressing
1 ½ tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp Runny Honey
2 tsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Soy sauce, or use half a tsp. flaky salt

Method

1. First grill the corn and asparagus. Put a heavy-based pan on a medium–high heat until smoking hot. Brush the cobs with ½ teaspoon of the olive oil and cook them, turning them as they become golden brown. Once they’re coloured all over, or near enough, remove from the pan and leave to cool on a plate. 
2. When cool enough to handle, cut into slices 1cm thick. (Trying to cut it with the tip end will be impossible, so sit the heel of the knife against the corn and press firmly down to cut through the core of the cob)
3. Toss the asparagus with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and cook in the pan until coloured, turning the spears as they cook. A finger-thickness spear will take about 90 seconds to cook over a high heat. Once done, remove from the pan and leave to cool. 
4. Place the goji berries in a small pan, add enough water to just cover them and bring to a simmer. Cook until the water evaporates (this rehydrates them), then leave to cool. 
5. Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Taste for seasoning and add more soy or lemon juice if necessary. 
6. To serve, put the salad leaves on a platter. Sit the asparagus and corn on top. Spoon small dollops of ricotta onto the salad. Sprinkle on the sunflower seeds and goji berries. Shake the dressing again and drizzle it over. Using a fine grater, grate ½ teaspoon of zest from the orange directly on to the salad and squeeze the juice from half of the orange over the salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.