White Asparagus & Shiitake Mushroom Salad w/ Balsamic Reduction

In need of an idea for a quick summer salad that tastes delicious? I was too. Salad’s can get boring, especially for those of us that eat them on the regular. It’s important to change up the ingredients to keep your interest (and this healthy habit) alive and well.

On my first trip ever to the AdMo Harris Teeter, I was inspired at the sight of white asparagus. The pale sister of glowing green asparagus, white asparagus is rare to find fresh in the US. Luckily, I caught the tail-end of prime asparagus season and seized the opportunity to snag this porcelain beauty.

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This spring treat boasts a pretty impressive nutritional profile. Not only does Asparagus provide a natural liver detox, it is fortified with folate and vitamins E, A, and C to help protect you against heart disease. Folate, or B9, has also been linked to cellular regeneration (aka healing power). Vitamin E is shown to help fight Type II diabetes, and vitamins A and C will steel you against certain types of cancer and cataracts. Asparagus also contains potassium (as does its green cousin the avocado), which helps lower blood pressure and may reduce LDL cholesterol (that’s the bad kind).

Having selected my star ingredient, I decided to pick up some yummy shiitake mushrooms and arugula to round out the salad. For dressing, I decided to go sweet and simple with a balsamic reduction. The mild white asparagus paired nicely with the earthiness of the mushrooms, bitter bite of arugula, and sweet finish of balsamic.

Give this easy recipe a whirl for yourself, and if you aren’t lactose-intolerant or vegan, a hit of pecorino romano shavings would be delicioso!

Warm White Asparagus & Shiitake Mushroom Salad:

(Serves 4)

What You’ll Need:

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 bunch white asparagus (substitute green if unavailable)
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 5 oz arugula (or 1 bag/box)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 cup good balsamic vinegar (for the reduction)

How to Make the Salad:

  1. Thoroughly wash your mushrooms, asparagus and arugula (unless pre-washed).
  2. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add your asparagus, spreading it into a single layer, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 min or until al dente (you can get a fork in but the spear doesn’t slip right off). Remove from heat and slice into 2 inch pieces.
  3. Simultaneously with step 2,  heat another large saucepan with  2 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add your mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms begin to brown, or about 5 min. Remove from heat but leave the pan on your stove. Add your arugula to the same pan and give it a quick warm up for 1-2 min.
  4. Plate immediately, starting with the warm arugula as your base and equally dividing the asparagus and shiitake between four plates.
  5. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction (recipe below) and enjoy!

How to Make the Balsamic Reduction:

  1. Pour your balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
  2. Turn down the heat so that the boil reduces to a simmer.
  3. Stir occasionally and allow to simmer until the vinegar has reduced by at least half – though I liked to let it go longer for a thicker consistency.
  4. Allow to cool then drizzle over your plated salads to finish.

Easy Multigrain Bread

Adapted from the New York Times infamous No-Knead Bread recipe, I started making my own version of this beautiful, easy homemade bread on the regular two years ago. This rustic bread is truly reminiscent of a French-style boule, which in my mind is as good as it gets. I love it’s crunchy crust and fluffy, air-pocked interior. It’s great for toast and even better for breakfast sandwiches!

Amy’s Easy Multigrain Bread:

What you’ll need:

  • 2 ¼ cups unbleached bread flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • ¼ cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp instant/rapid-rise yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Rolled oats for a finishing touch

Note: You’ll also need a 6-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic). I use my trusty 5 1/2 quart Cuisinart dutch-oven and it does the trick!

How to make it:

  1. In a large bowl combine flours, almond meal, ground flaxseed, yeast and salt. Add 1 3/4 cups warm water and mix–using your hands–until it just comes together. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.
  2. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 12-18 hours.
  3. Sprinkle flour on a work surface and place your dough on it. Dust your dough with a touch more flour then fold it in on itself gently three to four times.  Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 min.
  4. Using a little flour to keep your dough from sticking too much, gently and swiftly shape your dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton dish towel with rolled oats, put the dough seam side down on the towel and dust the top with more oats. Cover with another cotton towel and let it rise for 2 hours. When it is ready, your dough will be more than twice it’s original size.
  5. A half-hour to 45-min before your dough is ready, pre-heat your oven to 500°F. Place a 6-quart heavy covered pot in your oven as it heats up (lid on).
  6. When your dough is ready (i.e. 2 hours have passed since you coated it in oats), carefully remove the pot from your oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn your dough over into the heated pot, seam side up. Give the pan a good shake once or twice if you had a bad flip and your dough is unevenly distributed. No worries, it’ll sort itself out while cooking.
  7. Cover your pot with its lid and bake for 30 min, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 min until the loaf is golden brown. Let your boule cool on a rack for at least 20 min before diving in. Then, bon apetit!
Over-easy egg sandwich with arugula, lemon aioli, bacon and Frank’s Red Hot.

For a video tutorial on how to make the original recipe (i.e. just white bread flour) check out this video on YouTube.