Asparagus with Pine Nuts, Scallions and Chèvre Vinaigrette

This is a French recipe that I got from the Seattle Times developed by Chef Jim Drohman who worked at Cafe Presse, a very popular Seattle French restaurant.  Cafe Presse was one of Lauren's favorite neighborhood spots and one that we would all go to frequently.  So, needless to say everyone was devastated when it closed (after the pandemic).  Seattle has lots of French restaurants but Cafe Presse was the darling of them all.  Last year, the memory of Cafe Presse came up when Bruce and I went to the Bite of Seattle.   One of our favorite dishes was at a Spanish booth called Maripili where they were making paella to sample.  We had just returned from visiting Spain and we were still into all things Spanish so this turned out to be our favorite of the Bite.  

We told them we loved their paella and wanted to come to their restaurant but guess where they were?  In the same spot where Cafe Presse was!  When the cook told me that, I didn't say a word but the look on my face must have said it all because he immediately said, "...oh, I know.  I'm sorry.  We get that a lot."  He could just tell what I was thinking from my gasp!  Cafe Presse had such a reputation, I think he felt bad for taking over their spot.  It's been almost a year and we still haven't been to Maripili but I'm still thinking about Cafe Presse so I saved this recipe when I saw it in the paper and I finally made it  yesterday.   

We wanted to cook up a salmon that Bruce bought at the Public Market so we invited my sister and her husband over for dinner.  Bruce went downtown to get a new watch band for his Breitling watch and the only store in the whole area who carries them is located downtown.  We usually take the water taxi when we go downtown that runs from West Seattle to downtown so that's exactly what he did.  But he had to walk through the Public Market to get to the jewelry store so ended up buying a fish... Whenever you must walk through the Public Market to get somewhere downtown, it's nearly impossible not to buy something. 

And you guessed it, they threw the fish.  Bruce said there must have been 100 photos taken of his fish being thrown with all the people around (lots of tourist in town now).  We could have cut it up and froze it but since it was Memorial Day weekend, we decided to invite family over to help us eat it.  It turned out that only four of us were available this weekend so we didn't have a huge number of people over.   Bruce cooked it with lemon 

                        

and I sautéd some Valhalla onions which are abundant in the stores right now and so wonderfully sweet.  My sister brought a salad and some roasted tomatoes and I made my  Garlic Mushroom Quinoa for a most delicious Spring dinner.  

I also made my popular chocolate covered strawberries for dessert along with some ice cream and do-it-yourself banana splits just for fun.  It turned out to be a very fun evening to start off our Memorial Day weekend.  

This is the time of year for those huge, gorgeous strawberries are in the stores so it was the second time this year that I made my chocolate covered strawberries.  I also made them for Mother's Day this year like I did last year.

I'm getting really good at making these and everyone loves them.   Whenever I see those big, two pound containers of strawberries in the store, I immediately get the urge to make these.  This year there were 12 of us for Mother's Day who gathered at my nephews house for another salmon dinner. 

I would definitely make this asparagus recipe again for a Spring meal like Easter or Mother's Day or if we just get the urge to buy a salmon while walking through the Public Market.  You never know when the opportunity will arise.  You can prepare it hot or cold.  The recipe prepares it as a cold dish by blanching the asparagus which would be perfect for a potluck like we had on Mother's Day.  But since I was making it for a sit-down dinner of just four people, I made it into a hot dish by sautéeing the asparagus in olive oil and then pouring the dressing over it.  It's easy to serve because you can prepare the dressing and toppings (pine nuts and green onions) ahead of time.  I didn't use all the dressing but it's good to save for salad dressing or to serve with other veggies.  So, in memory of our beloved Cafe Presse, I present to you their lovely Asparagus with Pine Nuts, Scallions and Chèvre Vinaigrette.  

Serves 4

2 lbs asparagus

1/2 bunch of scallions

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar  (the same as rice vinegar), unseasoned

3 Tbsp. chevre, fresh

zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon mustard (Amora brand is a classic French choice)

1/2 tsp. thyme leaves, fresh

1 shallot, small, peeled

1 clove garlic, small, peeled and germ removed

organic soy oil (I used olive oil) up to 1 cup for desired consistency 

salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Wash asparagus in cold water.  Trim off the tough end of each stalk.  Blanch in salted boiling water until it is cooked but still has a bit of crunch.  Shock the asparagus immediately in cold water, then drain, dry and hold cold.  

If you want to serve it as a hot dish, instead of blanching it, sautée it in a bit of olive oil for about 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness, right before serving.

2.  Clean and wash the scallions.  Cut finely.

3.  Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat (while stirring and keeping an eye on them, as they'll go suddenly from toasty to burned - toasty should happen between 5 and 10 minutes).

                 

4.  Combine all the remaining ingredients except the oil in a blender (or use a hand blender).  Puree well. With the blender running, add oil slowly until the vinaigrette has a light body.  It would have a bright acid profile.  Correct the seasoning with salt and fresh-ground pepper, as needed. 

                   

                         

5.  Arrange the asparagus on four salad plates.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with vinaigrette to taste.  Sprinkle with pine nuts and sliced scallions.