Chilled Marinated Asparagus

Second week of recovery. The shoulder is settling. The sleep is improving — I figured out a pillow arrangement Wednesday that actually works. The first morning I woke up without sharp pain was Thursday. The relief was specific.

Cohort starts the week after next. I drove to Tahlequah Friday — Hannah drove me, I should say — to meet with Dwight and prep the syllabus. Dwight is a good man. We sat in the bay and went over the schedule. He'll do the demonstrations. I'll do the lecture and the one-on-one. The arrangement will work. The cohort director said the students were already informed about my surgery and the arrangement — most of them came back with messages of "take care, get well." One student — a thirty-eight-year-old woman, the one who said she'd been waiting forty years — sent me a card. The card said: I'll wait for you to be back at full speed. I'm not in a hurry. I have forty years. I read the card three times. I read it to Hannah. Hannah said: that's exactly what you needed to hear.

Caleb Saturday. He brought Miriam. Miriam had been coming over with him on Saturdays for a couple of months but Saturday she came not just as a guest. She brought a small bag with her. Caleb said: she's going to help with the kitchen today. Miriam started cooking. She cooked all morning — three different soups, a casserole, two loaves of bread, a salad. She filled the freezer. Caleb worked on the property — pulled some weeds, fixed a gate latch, changed a couple of light bulbs in the workshop. Miriam in the kitchen with Hannah. The four of us at lunch. The friendship between Hannah and Miriam is now real. The friendship between Caleb and me has always been real. The four of us at the table is something I didn't know I was waiting for.

Of everything Miriam made that Saturday — the soups, the casserole, the two loaves of bread — the salad was the thing I kept coming back to through the week. It was still in the refrigerator on Tuesday. Cold, bright, ready. There’s something specific about a dish that holds, that doesn’t ask anything of you when you open the refrigerator at an odd hour during recovery. This chilled marinated asparagus is the version I’d put in her hands if she asked for a recipe to leave behind again.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 4 hr 15 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Optional: 2 tablespoons sliced pimentos or roasted red pepper for color

Instructions

Blanch the asparagus. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green and just tender-crisp. Do not overcook.
Shock and drain. Transfer asparagus immediately to a bowl of ice water. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt, black pepper, and oregano until fully combined.
Combine. Arrange asparagus in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Scatter red onion and parsley over the top. Pour marinade evenly over asparagus. Add pimentos or roasted red pepper if using.
Marinate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Turn or gently toss once halfway through to redistribute the marinade.
Serve. Remove from refrigerator 10 minutes before serving. Arrange on a platter and spoon any remaining marinade from the dish over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chilled Marinated Asparagus — The Salad Miriam Left in Our Refrigerator