This is a quick one, mentioned in the previous Food Mashup post. Make this recipe soon, while asparagus are still pencil-thin.
I saw Anne Burrell make this recipe on Food Network. It couldn’t be simpler. Start with an entire bunch of thin asparagus, good pecorino cheese, a small red onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt.
Trim off and discard the bottom third of the asparagus stalks, then cut them into thin slices, including the tips. Cut the onion into small dice. Coarsely grate the cheese, enough for a cup. Measure out half a cup of the vinegar.
Toss the asparagus, onion, and pecorino in a bowl, then dress with the vinegar, some olive oil and salt to taste. Let the mixture sit for an hour, the vinegar “cooks” the asparagus.
This is a great late spring/early summer dish. Crunchy asparagus, sharp, salty cheese, pungent onion, and tangy vinegar — all very bright on the palate. And, as with all good warm-weather recipes, it takes almost no time to make and doesn’t require using the stove. Tasty and lazy: my two summer bywords.