Salad
1 pound pencil-slim asparagus
2 large navel oranges
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 handfuls of mixed salad greens
Sweet-Sour Orange Dressing
Juice of 1 orange
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons coarse mustard
About 2 tablespoons each extra-virgin olive oil and cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey, or sugar
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the asparagus and break away the stalks’ tough ends. Gently combine the asparagus with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the shredded zest of 1 orange, some salt, and pepper. Spread them on a shallow pan and roast 8 to 10 minutes, or until still somewhat firm when pierced with a knife. Cool.
Juice one orange into a big bowl. Peel the other, cutting the flesh into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Rinse and dry the greens by rolling them up in paper towels. In the big bowl, blend all the dressing ingredients into the orange juice and taste for seasoning.
Assemble the salad by tossing the greens with the dressing and heaping them on 4 plates. Top with asparagus and pieces of fresh orange. Serve with knives and forks.
