Spanish Asparagus Salad With Orange And Manchego Cheese

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 3
• 1 cup fresh asparagus spear (or use equivalent amount of frozen asparagus spears, thawed to room temperature)
• 2 medium oranges
• 1/2 cup red onion, sliced and cut into crescents
• 2 tomatoes, ripe but firm, cut into eighths
• 3 cups romaine leaves, chopped into narrow strips
• 2 ounces manchego cheese, for garnish (optional)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
• 1/2 orange, zest of, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon reserved orange juice
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 in large pot of lightly salted boiling water blanch the asparagus spears until green, about 2-3 minutes but no longer. immediately drain and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process.
• 2 peel the oranges and cut up into bite-size segments. save one half of one orange for juicing and zesting.
• 3 in a non-reactive small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, orange zest and 1 tablespoon of orange juice. season with salt and pepper. whisk together and set aside.
• 4 in a large salad bowl combine the cooked asparagus, red onion, orange segments, tomatoes, and lettuce. just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and mix gently to coat.
• 5 add shaved manchego to each salad serving if desired.
• 6 serve with crusty bread.