Last week I had the pleasure of having Dominika, a talented photographer, come over to my place to take some pictures, share some good food and exchange a small mom talk. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, and we were all in a good mood. Raya was napping while I was preparing some food for lunch. I had an idea of what ingredients I wanted to use for the lunch, but I did not have a concrete recipe. And so I improvised while we talked around the kitchen table. The recipe I am about to share with you today is the result of this improvisation.
Be aware that I have not tested the recipe again, so it might need some slight adjustments here and there. It offers a nice opportunity to take it a bit further and put your own touch to the dish. 😉
Dominika took all the gorgeous pictures I am sharing in this blog posts. If you need some serious photo inspiration, her Instagram account will do just that! 🙂
We were laughing as she was taking the pictures, as I was telling her that in my mind this dish looked a whole different way. I suppose the result is more of a real dish. We didn’t try to style it too much, or make it look “perfect”. The idea really was to show you a simple meal you can prepare with just a few ingredients, that is decadent and nourishing. Also, I wanted to take the opportunity to use some fresh asparagus, as they are now in season. And I wanted to use them in a dish, rather than as a side or starter. Asparagus has a lot of health benefits, and if you’d like to learn more about why you should eat more of it while it’s in season, you can read my blog post about it here.
So this is how this recipe came about. It is a spring recipe, and the cherry tomatoes and chimichurri sauce just add more to that fresh and light feel of the dish. And I find they complemented the earthy potatoes quite well.
It took me really just 30 minutes to whip up this recipe, which is my motto these days when it comes to cooking: under 30 minutes, nourishing, and pleasing 😉
As soon as we finished our lunch Raya woke up and we went out to take some portrait pictures. I was so excited to have some professional pictures taken of Raya and me, but as it so happened, she was not in the mood for it. She wanted to go to the swings, and nothing could persuade her to show a bit of patience. Toddlers can be really stubborn sometimes, ha! And so we went to the swings. I love playing with her. It gives me an excuse to do silly things 😉 Playtime is definitely my favorite, as we bond so much. She is talking a lot these days, and so it feels very different now, because she actually responds and we’re having a real conversation. I soak up all these precious moments, as she constantly reminds me just how there is only “here and now” and you don’t really need more than being fully present in the moment to feel fully happy and connected.
Anyways, enough of mom talk! I was actually supposed to share a recipe with you today. So before I drift off again, here it is:
Asparagus and young potato salad with chimichurri sauce
Ingredients
- 500g fresh green asparagus
- 5-6 young potatoes (about 400g)
- 150g cherry tomatoes
- handful of finely chopped chive
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- sea salt and pepper to taste For the chimichurri sauce:
- 1 cup of parsley
- 1 1/2 cup of fresh coriander
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp of green onions (the green part only)
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon but add more if you like it tangy)
- 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- Wash the asparagus and chop off about 2-3 cm of the bottom of the stem.
- Wash the new potatoes well. You can leave the skin on. Chop into quarters.
- Once the water is boiling add the potatoes and boil for about 6-7 minutes until slightly soft. Add the asparagus to the potatoes and boil for another 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Combine the potatoes, asparagus, some freshly chopped chives and some paprika with 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with some salt and pepper.
- Chop the cherry tomatoes in quarters and add to the pan.
- In a small blender mix all the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce.
- Plate the salad and top of with some fresh chimichurri sauce.
I hope you’ll enjoy it, and if you do, make sure to leave me a comment!
