Roasted Asparagus and Scallion Salad

Was looking for something to do with gnocchi when this popped up in my feed...so I added cubed pancetta to the asparagus tray before it went into the oven and fried off the cooked gnocchi in butter before I tossed all the elements together. Oh. My. Word. Delicious :)

Doubled the freekah to 1/2 cup and doubled the marinade. Added extra (not double) arugula and let it wilt a bit when mixed with frrekah. I had very thin scallions so some of them burnt - tasted good anyway. Next time I might add the scallions a few minutes after the asparagus if they are small. Used a white cheddar thinly sliced with veggie peeler. Wonderful! Highly recommended.

I wanted to love this recipe, and parts of it I did, but there was WAY too much dressing. It just made all the greens soggy and overpowered the roasted flavor of the asparagus and scallions. The dressing itself was yummy, but next time I'd make 1/2 the amount and take care to add it gradually to the greens making sure they don't get lost in it, rather than adding the greens to the prepared dressing like the recipe reads.

From the full article: "Finally, to add richness and tang, I shave in some sheep’s milk cheese. The earthiness of a young pecorino or a manchego goes nicely with the scallions’ sweetness. But an aged Cheddar or Gouda, both cow’s milk cheeses, would also work."

Pls remember us in markets where some of your ingredients are difficult/impossible to find, like Pecorine Rossellino. I don't recall having seen any cheese labeled 'young sheep's milk cheese'. Guess I'll have to google to find an appropriate substitute.

What I really like about MC recipes is that they inspire me to take her recipe and/or technique and run with it. And, I always check the cooking notes because the readers inevitably give me ideas I would not have thought of on my own. A little pancetta and gnocchi, I would have never thought of it. Thanks.

a wonderful salad. my new favorite thing is roasted scallions! perfect components (farro, wonderfully roasted veggies, a lovely dressing, spring greens) make this terrific. next time, WAY more scallions because they are so good!

I made this for a family gathering. I thought I'd have leftovers, but the big bowl was emptied and I was inundated with requests for the recipe.

I only did a couple of adjustments. For flavor: 1) I recently picked up some dried limes from a Persian grocery. I dropped on int to cook with the farro. I think it adds an interesting gentle flavor to grains. For Convenience: 1) I didn't have the recommended cheese, so I used Parmesan. It worked.

Thin spears not necessarily more tender than thick; if anything, it's the reverse.

http://news.psu.edu/story/186083/2000/03/27/skinny-asparagus-thicker-mea...

MOre has to do with cooking temp and time.

I grow several varieties (my favorite is purple, which turns green upon cooking). Like fresh corn, asparagus sugars are most pronounced when it goes directly from garden to pot. I agree with others that diameter has little to do with tenderness - just longer cooking time. The key to any preparation is to get the freshest possible - ideally from a farmers market. A fat fresh asparagus is far superior to a thin older one. Supermarket asparagus has lost most of it's nuance by the time you buy it and the only way to make it eatable is to peel it.

When I was a child I hated asparagus. What we ate came from a jar and was stringy. The texture alone turned me off.

I then met someone who prepared fresh asparagus for me and I was hooked (same was true for Brussel Sprouts).

I now live in North West New Jersey and pass a farm stand on a regular basis. I saw the sign "Fresh Cut Asparagus" and my vehicle turned in.

Being able to buy it fresh makes all the difference.

Sorry no cooking advice here, just enjoy.

This was a brilliant recipe. We ate every bit in one sitting. Could easily be a main course. A sprinkling of finely chopped and toasted walnuts was a nice addition too. And yes - local farmer's markets are brimming over with fresh baby arugula and just-picked asparagus right now - that's the only place to go for ingredients.

Readers of this column may be advised to read "Three Ways to Let Fresh Asparagus Shine", of April 21, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/dining/three-ways-to-let-fresh-aspara...

A rule of thumb is that dry grains triple in volume, once cooked.

Tried this twice since the recipe was posted. Left out the scallions both times as we have allergic eaters here. No one seems to have missed them. Tried it the second time without the soy sauce - subsituted olive oil made with extra crushed olives. It was as good as the original. Everyone who ate this loved it. Partners wonderfully with salmon and with polenta recipes.