Ingredients:

for the salad:

1/4 lb thinly sliced mortadella
1 lb asparagus
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 bunch red radishes, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 large bunch dandelion greens, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup shaved parmesan or asiago (or a mix)

for the dressing:

1/4 cup white wine or cognac vinegar
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Tightly wrap two asparagus spears in one slice of mortadella. Repeat for remaining asparagus. Arrange in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Bake 5-10 minutes or until the asparagus is warmed through and the mortadella is crisping around the edges. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the remaining salad ingredients. Whisk together the dressing ingredients until well-combined.

Divide the salad among 4 plates. Drizzle with dressing. Top with wrapped asparagus.

My thoughts:

I saw a picture of a salad on Instagram that had a salad topped with asparagus wrapped in some sort of meat and thought it would be fun to make at home. It really took the salad from bland to much more exciting and meal-worthy. I love the imported mortadella I get from my local Italian store so I thought it would be the perfect meat to use around the asparagus. It added the same sort of meaty, salty flavor as the more common prosciutto but the garlic and pistachio added to the flavor as well. Plus it was easier to eat; the texture is much softer than the oft chewy prosciutto. Try, it might become you new favorite spring salad.

Apologies for the lack of posting this month! I had high hopes (May marks the 12th year I’ve been posting recipes here at Coconut & Lime) but life got in the way. Weekends have been busy and we have been planning the most important part of our upcoming European adventure: where to eat. I’ve been relying on old favorites and easy dishes too much this month! Look for more recipes in June (if not before) and keep up with me on Instagram and Twitter.