Asparagus and Arugula Salad

Last time I went to California Pizza Kitchen I had the Asparagus and Arugula Salad. We went for lunch and I didn’t want my traditional order of sesame dumplings and a small pizza. Long story short I made a good choice and tried my best to re-create the salad at home. Here is my take on it:

Salad:

-        1 bushel of fresh asparagus

-        1 package of fresh arugula

-        1 cup of sundried tomatoes

-        ¼ cup pine nuts

-        Shaved parmesan cheese (optional)

Dressing:

-        ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

-        2 tbsp lemon juice

-        Pinch of pepper

-        Pinch of sea salt

Immediately start boiling a pot of water for the asparagus and salt the water. While waiting for the water to boil, thoroughly wash the asparagus and arugula, placing each into separate bowls.

Cut the bottom two inches off of the asparagus and discard. Continue to cut freshly washed asparagus into two inch sections; set aside. Rinse off sundried tomatoes, pat dry, and cut into small pieces and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.

Once water is boiling, blanch the asparagus until it is bright green (about 2-5 minutes depending on size) and immediately transfer into a bowl of ice water to arrest cooking. While asparagus cools, mix arugula, pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes into serving bowl. Add the chilled asparagus. Coat with dressing and garnish with parmesan curls. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ready to serve!