Sinkology is proud to present Emily Schuermann, our food-loving guest blogger who runs Food for a Year. Emily is here to share some recipes she has created exclusively for the Sinkology blog that reflect her view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable, and beautifully rustic.
How better to celebrate the entrance of Spring than to prepare a simple, fresh “ALL GREEN” tortellini salad. Full of fresh green vegetables and herbs, dressed in a quick, fresh homemade lemon vinaigrette — this recipe is sure to bring your tastebuds out of hibernation!
This “all green” salad can act as a wonderful side but is hearty enough to be served as the main course.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- haricots verts style green beens, blanched
- lightly steamed or blanched broccoli, chopped
- shaved Brussels sprouts
- fresh asparagus, blanched
- jalapeno, finely diced
- Italian parsley
- fresh cilantro
- celery
- shelled edamame
- green onions
- green bell pepper, finely diced
- spinach stuffed tortellini
You can use any green veggies & herbs – I chose these because they offer a variety of textures and shades of green.
A note about haricots verts :: If you’ve never encountered them, they may sound like fancy French snails – but they are just very long, tender, skinny green beans. When blanched and dipped in ice water, they are tender and crisp with just a hint of natural sweetness. I think they make the perfect addition to this salad!
Grab your favorite mix of Spring green veggies and chop, dice or blanche and add them to a large mixing bowl.
For the tortellini, look for fresh tortellini in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store. There are usually several flavors of tortellini available. I chose spinach stuffed fresh tortellini for this salad – it made the perfect addition to the fresh veggies and really soaked up the flavors of the lemon vinaigrette. (To prepare the tortellini, just follow the package instructions and then drain and chill.)
This lemon vinaigrette recipe is one you’ll want to keep on hand. It takes under 5 minutes to whip up and is better than anything you could purchase in the store. Simply whisk olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes together and chill until it’s time to drizzle over the vegetables.
If you’re thinking about serving this for a crowd, here’s a tip to help make the process a little easier :: prepare the veggies, tortellini and vinaigrette a day ahead and chill individually in the fridge overnight.
30 minutes before serving time, toss the veggies & tortellini with the lemon vinaigrette, chill and serve.
Let’s talk options — depending on what’s available and what you love, the possibilities for this salad are limitless.
- kohlrabi
- zucchini
- jicama
- green tomatoes
- green peas, frozen
- sugar snap peas
- snow peas
- English cucumber
This salad is Spring on a plate – thanks to the chilled, crisp veggies and the bright, tangy homemade fresh lemon vinaigrette. Every bite has a different combination of veggies, adding a variety of tastes and textures. It’s so hard to stop with just one serving – a perfect way to squeeze in your daily veggie quota!
- 12 oz haricots verts style green beens (blanched*) and chopped into 1” pieces
- 6 oz lightly steamed or blanched broccoli, chopped
- 10 oz shaved Brussels sprouts
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed (blanched*) and chopped into 1” pieces
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- 1 c Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 c celery, sliced
- 10 oz shelled edamame
- 2 green onions, whites removed, chopped
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
- 10 oz fresh spinach stuffed tortellini** (prepared according to package instructions)
- 1 c fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 4 T lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 2 T lemon zest
- 1/4 c champagne or white balsamic vinegar
- 1 T sea salt
- 1/2 T black pepper
- 1/2 t crushed red pepper
- Prepare tortellini according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients (including pasta).
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together lemon vinaigrette ingredients.
- Pour vinaigrette over salad, toss and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
- Top with grated parmesan cheese and serve.
- Serves 12.
- ((lasts refrigerated 1-2 days))
- *to blanche vegetables place in salted boiling water for no longer than one minute. Remove and immediately place into a salted ice bath. I used this process for Haricots Verts, asparagus as well as the broccoli. (all were blanched separately)
- **I prepared the tortellini in the same water I used to blanche the veggies. (Fresh tortellini can be found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store.)
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