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radishes and cheese-stuffed courgette flowers arranged over asparagus spears on a plate with drizzled lemon dressing

Salad of Asparagus, Stuffed Courgette Flowers, and a Preserved Lemon Dressing

Suzanne Kay, Plate Full of Dreams
Combining fresh vegetables, creamy sheep's milk cheese, toasted almonds, and tangy lemon dressing creates a balance of textures, colours, and flavours that perfectly showcase spring produce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine French, Provencal
Servings 4 people

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Preserved Lemon Dressing

  • 1/2 preserved lemon seeds removed
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp water or lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp dill dried
  • 6-8 fresh mint leaves rinsed
  • 100 g olive oil

For the Salad

  • 16-20 asparagus spears
  • 8-12 radishes
  • 80 g fresh fava beans shelled, or unshelled if they are young and tender
  • 25 g flaked almonds
  • 4 courgette flowers fresh
  • 4-6 tbsp sheep's milk cheese fresh (preferably Corsican brocciu)
  • splash olive oil
  • knob butter
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

For the Preserved Lemon Dressing

  • Put all ingredients into a container and blend with an immersion blender until fairly smooth.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.

For the Salad

  • In a dry frying pan, gently toast the flaked almonds until golden, swirling the pan to get an even cook. Be careful not to burn them.
  • Trim the asparagus, removing the woody ends.
  • Heat a large frying pan with lid, and add a splash of olive oil.
  • Rinse the asparagus and put it in the frying pan, sprinkle with some salt, and cover with the lid. Cook the asparagus in two batches if you feel they are too crowded.
  • Sauté the asparagus for several minutes, shaking the pan to achieve an even cook on all surfaces, adding a knob of butter towards the end. Do not overcook the asparagus! It should still have a slight crunch.
  • Remove asparagus from the frying pan onto a plate to ensure they don't continue to cook and stay beautifully green.
  • Boil some salted water, and cook the fava beans for 1 minute.
  • Remove the fava beans and plunge them in cold water to stop the cooking process and retain the colour.
  • Gently open the petals of the courgette flowers and pinch out the stamen.
  • Loosen the sheep milk cheese with a fork or small whisk, adding a small amount of cream if it is too stiff.
  • Pipe the cheese into the flowers (or spoon in if you don't have a piping bag), and twist the ends of the petals to close the blossom around the cheese.
  • Put the flowers into the fridge to firm up until you are ready to serve.
  • Quarter or slice the radish. If they are going to sit for a while, splash them with some lemon juice or store them in some cold water to stop them from discolouring.
  • Assemble the vegetables on the plate, topped with the stuffed courgette flower and toasted almonds.
  • Spoon over the dressing and finish with thyme flowers or other edible flowers if available or desired.

Notes

You can substitute fresh peas for the fava beans.
If you can't find brocciu or sheep's milk cheese, a good quality ricotta can also work.
Keyword Asparagus, Preserved Lemon
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