Warm Asparagus Salad

I bought asparagus the other day when it was on sale and for some reason I had no idea what to do with it. I would usually make some kind of risotto, but that's the oldest recipe in the book. So I referred back to my ever handy Homestyle Vegetarian and found just what I was looking for. 

Starting with 2 red bell peppers, heat the oven to 200C and while waiting for the oven to preheat, cut the peppers into flat long pieces, discarding the seeds and core. Lay the pepper skin facing up on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the oven on the highest rung. It should take anywhere between 10-15 minutes for the skin of the red peppers to bubble and blacken, depending on the heat distribution in your oven. At this, take the peppers out and allow them to cool under a damp, clean kitchen towel. 

While the peppers are baking, you can prepare the bunch of asparagus. First, cut of the stumpy ends. These are usually a bit white-ish in color and very tough to chew through, even when cooked. Usually this is about 1-2 inches off the bottom. You can either cut them in half, or boil them whole. I cut them in half and put the bottom halves of the asparagus in the boiling water a few minutes before the tops, so that both halves reach the same softness and the tops aren't soggy when the bottoms are finally ready. Drain the asparagus and rinse with cold water after about 7 minutes. 

Mix together in a bowl a few cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of one squeezed lemon (or two tables spoons of white wine vinegar) and 2 tablespoons of prepared pesto. Salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together. By now, the peppers should be cool enough, and you can remove the skin and dice the peppers. If you have baked the peppers long enough, the skin should peel off without much fuss. 

Place the aparagus on a serving plate. Sprinkle the chopped pepper on top, add some kalamato or black olives, and pour about half of the dressing on top, more later if you like.  A said this was restaurant quality, so I'm adding it to my list of favorites, and I'll never wonder what to do with asparagus again :)