- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 servings
Nancy Silverton says the first sign of spring is when she puts this salad on the menu at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. She dresses the asparagus, peas, radishes, and sugar snap peas with a lemon vinaigrette, then offers toasts topped with labneh alongside, turning this ode to spring produce into a light lunch or first course for dinner. The herbs are an important part of the mix; if you can't find chervil, substitute equal parts Italian parsley and tarragon.
Ingredient:
- 1 quart organic Greek yogurt (or another plain whole-milk strained yogurt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallot (from 1 medium [1 1/2 ounce] shallot)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Toasts
- 8 (1/2-inch-thick) baguette slices or 4 rustic white bread slices, halved crosswise
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing bread
- Salad
- Kosher salt, to taste
- ⅔ cup shelled English peas (from about 8 ounces unshelled pea pods)
- 3 ounces medium-size fresh asparagus spears (about 8 spears total), tough stems snapped off and discarded
- 3 ounces (about 1 cup) fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed
- 6 (3 ounces total) breakfast radishes
- 3 (2 2/3 ounces each) heads Little Gem lettuce or romaine lettuce hearts, leaves left whole and removed from core (about 10 cups)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chervil (or 1 tablespoon each finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and tarragon), plus leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, plus leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus leaves for garnish
- 15 to 20 (1-inch-long) pieces fresh chives (from about 3 chives)
- Additional Ingredients
- Finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- Sweet smoked paprika (optional)
