It will be a shame to not make the most of the asparagus available now that warm spring days are here. Grilled on a griddle pan for a smoky flavour and a slight char, combined with smooth and creamy ricotta, then dressed with a zingy chimichurri, the fresh, green spears make for a delicious spring salad with not much effort.

Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Salad

There is not much of a recipe, just adding some ingredients together and voila, your meal is ready. Chimichurri is a herby sauce, almost a pesto but with no cheese and is well known as a condiment for grilled meat but works well with cheeses and the grilled asparagus in this recipe. A specialty of Argentina and Uruguay, it is made of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, chili, oregano and red wine vinegar. It perks up the salad beautifully, adding flavour, texure and colour.

The asparagus and ricotta offer a blank flavour canvass and you can change the herb sauces as you desire. If chimichurri does not appeal, swap it with a pesto, gremolata or salsa verde. Be brave and make a dressing with some spicy harissa. The options are endless.

The images in this post have been shot on Factory Floor, one of the backgrounds from my newly launched Heinstirred Collection, available for sale online at shop.heinstirred.com. Do you have a look around, your favourite new surface may just be a click away.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Salad and that it will become a family favourite. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed.

Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Salad

Ingredients
  

  • 350 g asparagus spears
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250 g fresh ricotta
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 5 tbsp chimichurri
  • sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat a griddle pan to very hot
  • Drizzle the asparagus with half the olive oil
  • Grill the asparagus for a few minutes until charred in spots and cooked through
  • Place the asparagus in a bowl and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and the vinegar
  • Spoon the ricotta on a serving plate and break up with a fork
  • Top with the asparagus and drizzle with the chimichurri
  • Season to taste and serve

If you are looking for more quick, easy delicious meal ideas, my cookbook, DRUNK AND HUNGRY is available as a digital download. As the title states, the book consists of easy and flavourful recipes for when you find yourself drunk, and hungry. Savoury, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, bacon, cheese, spice, and carbs are packed into 15 easy recipes to satisfy your hunger while tantalising your tastebuds. The book has just been announced as the South African winner in the Digital Books category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. It will now compete for Best in the World later this year at the Cookbook Fair in Paris.

Purchase the book by clicking on this link

Drunk and Hungry

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