Spring is right around the corner. In the Tetons we all thinking about the same things: bikes, the desert, hiking shoes, sandals, corn… And fresh asparagus! Soon in Idaho a wild variety of asparagus will begin sprouting up in farm ditches. And fresh varieties start to become available at the market too. So to celebrate all things Spring, here is a recipe for a shaved asparagus salad, with pecorino and bread crumbs. Paired with wine-braised lentils and roasted chicken. Feel free to switch out the chicken for fish, or serve it as a side with pasta. This asparagus prep is bright and fresh and sure to fuel your next adventure. Or a dinner party!
Roasted Chicken with Wine Braised Lentils and a Shaved Asparagus & Breadcrumb Salad:
Ingredients:
- A full chicken or chicken quarters.
- 1 1/4 c. French (black) or orange lentils
- A good bottle of medium bodied red wine that you’ll enjoy while cooking!
- Carrots, onions, and celery, diced ~1/2 c ea.
- 2 1/2 c. chicken stock (can be bought or made from bullion)
- 1 bay leaf
- A couple sprigs of thyme
- An hour of your time, relaxing
- A quality baguette
- S&P
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches of asparagus
- 1/2 c. shaved pecorino
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 c. mint leaves
- 1/2 c. bread crumbs
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 c. toasted pistachios
Breadcrumbs:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Slice the baguette into 1/2” crostini’s. Brush with olive oil, season with s&p, bake ~ 15 minutes until golden and crisp.
Chicken:
- Raise the oven temp to 400 degrees
- Brush whole chicken or quarters with oil, season liberally with s&p, top with 1-2 thyme sprigs, stemmed and chopped.
- Roast in the oven for about 50 minutes for a whole chicken, 35 minutes for quarters. Interior temp will be >160 degrees when done.
Lentils:
- In a heavy bottomed stockpot, add olive oil and the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until translucent. Add in the lentils, s&p and toast the legumes, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of stock, and 1 cup of wine. Pouring a glass of wine at this point in the process enhances and primes your taste buds! Be careful because New West knives are sharp!
- Add 2 sprigs of thyme to the pot and the bay leaf, stir to combine. The lentils should be slightly covered with liquid.
- Bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add more stock and wine as the liquid cooks down, keeping the lentils covered as they plump.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, adding stock as needed to keep liquid in the pot.
- When they are cooked al dente, add a “glug” (1-2 Tbs) of olive oil to the mix, stir and cut the heat. Taste for salt. Perfectly cooked lentils are a little chewy, like perfectly cooked pasta.
Asparagus salad:
- Discard the tough ends of the asparagus.
- Using a sharp New West knife shave the asparagus and put in a large mixing bowl.
- Chop crostini’s and pulse in a food processor into irregular sized bread crumbs. Add to the bowl. Do the same with the pistachios. Also add 1/2 c. grated pecorino, the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of the lemon, chopped mint leaves, 2 Tbs olive oil, and s&p.
- To serve, place the lentils at the base, like a starch. With a roast chicken quarter on top, and the asparagus salad either on the side or as nutritious & bright garnish. Serve with a couple reserved crostini’s on each plate, perhaps a lemon wedge. And enjoy the remainder of the wine with dinner!
Pairs great with your favorite version of Spring. Bon appetite!
Asparagus Salad adapted from the excellent cookbook Six Seasons, written by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg.
This recipe adaptation was created by Andrew Grasso for New West KnifeWorks. Grasso is one of the many talented chefs from Forage Restaurant, located about 8 miles from the NWKW factory. #EATLOCAL