Spring Salad – Elly Says Opa!
You know how a lot of times you’re looking to add something to your menu/party, and often you go with “a green salad” because it’s lighter, and you don’t have to think about it, and it goes with pretty much everything? Well, nothing is more truly a green salad than this one.
You know that I like a more acidic dressing, so I did bring the lemon juice up a bit. Unfortunately my store didn’t carry nigella seeds, and I didn’t really feel like going on a hunt for them. This is the second recipe I’ve wanted to use them in, so I plan to just buy some online to make sure I have them on hand for the next time. This time around, I just omitted them.
In my son’s ever-changing list of “favorite vegetables” you can now put broad beans/fava at the top of the list – until next week when something replaces it, I’m sure.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready.
Add the french beans and boil for 1 minute before adding the asparagus. Boil for another minute before adding the broad beans. After the broad beans have been cooking for 2 minutes, drain all the vegetables and then plunge them into the ice water. Remove and discard the broad bean skins by gently pressing each between your finger and thumb. Place all the vegetables in a large bowl.
Whisk together the sesame oil, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. Toss the dressing with the vegetables and sesame and nigella seeds. Re-season if necessary.
*Note: You can purchase frozen broad beans or fava. If you are using fava beans, you only need about half the amount, since the weight listed includes skins.