Spinach & raw asparagus salad with strawberries & goat cheese

The end of the asparagus season is coming. For the last week I was trying to cheer myself up by eating lots of fresh strawberries that happened to be slightly cheaper and affordable (for the quantities that I eat). This time I tried to marry my favourite baby spinach, goat cheese and strawberry salad with raw asparagus that I have never tried before. I have to admit that raw asparagus is extremely tasty – crunchy, refreshing; definitely will eat it raw again. 

I know… it is a salad again. I cannot help myself; I simply fancy salads more than anything at the moment. Yesterday I had lovely salad from “Two Greedy Italians”, today I am going to make another one, so for the next few days there will be a lots of salads on my blog. 

Serves 2

2 large handfuls of baby spinach washed and ready to eat   

10 green asparagus, bottoms removed, spears sliced diagonally into quite thin strips

10 strawberries hulled and quartered

120g crumbly goat cheese  

half lemon juice

few mint leaves (optionally)  

For the dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil  

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar*

half tsp honey* 

salt

freshly ground black pepper  

Mix all of the dressing ingredients together and set aside. 

Drizzle the asparagus with the lemon juice, add little salt and set aside for about 15 minutes, to marinate. 

Next mix the asparagus with spinach, strawberries and dressing, arrange in the bowl or on a plate, crumble goat cheese on the top and finish with some freshly ground black pepper and mint leaves. Serve immediately. Walnuts or pecans go well with this salad, but unfortunately I did not have any at the time. 

* If you are lucky to have the original balsamic vinegar, aged in barrels for years, and it tastes great and cost bloody fortune you do not have to add any honey. Otherwise you have to make the vinegar bit more sticky and sweeter.