Asparagus is in a rush to grow up.
If you're the parent of a preteen, you might know this phenomenon well.
In truth, asparagus roots (like children) take years to mature, but when they're ready to go, they're off. The spears shoot up out of the soil, and growers rush to harvest them before they're hardened by maturity.
Of course, we can't cut off our children's growth this way. But we can do our best to relish fleeting seasons, whether they’re the years we live with preteens or the annual six weeks when local asparagus flood the markets.
I love the charred sweetness of roasted and grilled asparagus, but I've really got a thing for this vegetable when it's cut into little coins. When ever-so-lightly cooked, the bits flirt with the edge of crunchy and tender — a welcome texture against cushy white beans.
Burrata – the voluptuous cream-filled mozzarella — gilds the lily here, almost.
But what else are fleeting seasons for than serving something that's a little extra? (If you don't do dairy, simply leave it off and gild with even more olive oil, if you like.)
If you like zippy flavors in your salad (and alongside burrata), adding a little lemon juice or vinegar here is tempting. I didn't, for two reasons: I didn't want to discolor the asparagus, and with these plush flavors, I enjoy occasional pops of acidity rather than having the brightness woven throughout the dish.
To bring those pops, I reached for the pickled pearl onions in the jar of cornichon pickles that are a mainstay in my fridge. (Cocktail onions work, too.)
Fresh mint, which I now have growing on my patio, freshens the salad's flavor further.
To make this dish sing without a lot of acidity, you've got to use your best cook's intuition when you season.
It's important to salt the garlic toasts and the salad. I also like to sprinkle flaky salt over the milky but mild-tasting burrata so it doesn't drag down the seasoning. Freshly ground black pepper at the end also awakens the flavors nicely.
Finally, I add more olive oil to finish it all with some peppery richness.
My friend, Dani, recently sent me three California olive oils from her new venture, Like Family.
These are not the kinds of oils you cook with but the type you use to finish a dish. Oils like this are lifesavers for lazy cooks like me, because they let you transform a simple salad or a plate of vegetables into something that makes people say, "Wow, that's so good! What's in that?"
Warm Asparagus and White Bean Salad with Burrata and Garlic Toasts
Serves 3 to 4
1 bunch medium-thick asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 large shallot
5 to 8 pickled onions from a jar of cornichons or cocktail onions (optional)
1 small bulb spring garlic or 1 fat, juicy garlic clove (optional)
4 large slices sourdough bread or other country-style bread
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for cooking, plus a high-quality olive oil, for drizzling
Fine salt
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans (or about 1 ¾ cooked, salted beans)
¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves
About 10 chives, with flowers if you have them! (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 balls burrata (4 to 8 ounces)
Flaky salt, for finishing
Prep the vegetables
Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, then cut the spears crosswise into ¼-inch-thick coins.
Peel the shallot and cut it in half lengthwise through the root. Thinly slice the shallot into half moons.
Thinly slice or finely chop the pickled onions, depending on whether you want larger bites of the pickled onion or the flavor of them woven throughout.
Cut your spring garlic bulb or garlic clove in half.
Make the garlic toasts
Arrange a rack so it’s just a few inches from the broiler, then preheat the broiler in your oven or toaster oven.
Cut the bread slices in half crosswise and arrange them so they’re in a single layer on a baking sheet. (If you’re using a toaster oven, you might need to broil in batches.)
Brush both sides of the bread slices with ¼ cup olive oil.
Broil, watching it well, until golden on top, about 2 minutes. Flip the slices and broil until golden, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Remove the toasts from the oven, and when they’re just cool enough to handle, rub the garlic all over one side of the toasts, then sprinkle them with salt.
Make the warm asparagus salad
In a deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallot, season with salt, and cook until softened and just starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and stir to coat with the oil and shallots. Cook, stirring, until the pieces start to turn bright green, about 1 minute. Add the drained white beans and gently stir to warm through. Turn off the heat.
Thinly slice the chives and mint leaves. Pull apart any chive flowers.
Stir in the pickled onions as well as most of the mint and chives. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Plate and serve
Pile the asparagus salad on a platter. Cut the burrata ball(s) into four pieces and arrange them on top. Sprinkle with more mint and chives.
Drizzle the top with some nice olive oil. Grind a bit more black pepper on top and sprinkle the burrata with some flaky salt.
Serve immediately.
The short version
Cut the asparagus into coins. Thinly slice the shallot. Slice or chop the pickled onions. Halve the garlic.
Brush the toasts with olive oil and broil on both sides until golden. Rub with the garlic and season with salt.
In a deep skillet, cook the shallot in olive oil, seasoning with salt. Add the asparagus and cook for a minute. Add the beans and cook until warm. Remove from the heat and add most of the mint and chives. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the salad on a platter and top with the burrata as well as more herbs, pepper, flaky salt, and olive oil.
Fun for kids
Snap off the ends of the asparagus.
Drain the white beans.
Brush the olive oil on the bread and rub the garlic on the toasts.
Sprinkle in the herbs.
Cut the burrata.
Grind the pepper.
Swaps
Instead of cannellini beans, you could use Great Northern beans or other white bean.
Instead of a shallot, use a spring onion or ¼ of a small red onion.
Instead of the pickled onions, try another pickled vegetable chopped fine.
Instead of mint, try tarragon (use half) or basil.
If you can’t find burrata, just skip it!
Bonus points
If you want some lemon flavor without lemon juice, add some finely grated lemon zest to the salad.
For a little more heat, add some crushed red pepper.
Add some baby greens (like arugula or mustards) to the salad just after you pull it off the heat so they wilt.