Feature Ingredient of the Month Recipe - Ribbon Asparagus Salad

Taken from the Smitten Kitchen, this asparagus recipe is delicious, fun and lets you experience asparagus in a unique but tasty way. Grab your vegetable peeler and have fun.

Note that there are no exact measurements in this recipe. Everything is to taste, so be sure to taste test as you go. You may need to add (or refrain from adding) flavors as needed.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
• 1 pound asparagus, rinsed
• 1 lemon, halved
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 ounces Parmesan cheese

Directions

Lay a single stalk of asparagus on its side on a cutting board. Holding onto the tough end, use a vegetable peeler (a Y-shaped peeler is ideal) and shave off thin asparagus ribbons from stalk to tip, peeling away from the tough end in your hand.

Discard the tough ends once you're done peeling.

Gently pile your ribbons on a medium-sized serving platter.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Toss gently and then use your peeler to shave curls of Parmesan right off the block, over the asparagus. Sprinkle with some toasted nuts.

Repeat with remaining asparagus, a third of the remaining bundle at a time.

Eat immediately.