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Festive Asparagus Wreath with Juicy Roasted Tomatoes

This makes an absolutely beautiful salad for a holiday meal. With the asparagus fanned out in a circle to simulate a wreath and the glistening roasted tomatoes coated with sun-dried tomato pesto, this is a sight to behold!

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 people

Ingredients

For the Asparagus

  • 1-1/2 pounds asparagus
  • 4 tablespoons Kosher salt

For the Sherry Vinaigrette

  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar I prefer Trader Joe's
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Roasted Tomatoes

  • 2 packages grape tomatoes 10 ounces each
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 5 large sun dried tomatoes buy the soft, pliable kind, not the one's that are hard as stone
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano rubbed between your fingers to release the oils
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 8 large basil leaves cut into a fine chiffonade

Instructions

Asparagus

  1. First, bring a large pot of water to a boil with 4 T. Kosher salt. While the water is coming to a boil, peel the asparagus. To do so, place one asparagus stalk at a time on a counter or board horizontally and peel it with a wide peeler. You peel one piece off at a time beginning in the middle of the stalk and working downward to the root end, rolling the asparagus as you pull down on the peeler so that each side of the asparagus gets peeled as you turn it.

  2. Once the asparagus is all peeled, line the bottoms up evenly and cut away about 2 inches on the diagonal so the stalks at the bottom are not tough. All of the spears should be the same length.

  3. Fill a large bowl with ice water and add at least 10 ice cubes. Set aside.

  4. Drop the asparagus all at once in the pot of boiling water and cook for exactly two minutes. Immediately drain the asparagus and toss them into the ice water bath to shock them. Once they are cold, dry them in paper towels and, at this point, you can refrigerate them overnight wrapped in paper towels and plastic wrap. Be careful not to damage the tops so they look perfectly intact on the wreath.

Roasted Tomatoes

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

  2. Put the olive oil, tomatoes, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and shake them around until they are coated. 

  3. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with parchment paper or foil. Put the tomatoes in the pan and spread them around so they are not touching, if possible. Set the bowl aside. 

  4. Roast the tomatoes on the bottom shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. Open the oven door, give the pan a shake, and roast them for 10 more minutes. They should not be flat and deflated but rather, they should still hold their shape.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

  1. In a small food processor, process the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes until they are  finely chopped.

  2. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and put the pesto in the mixing bowl you used to coat the tomatoes.

  3. Add the hot, roasted tomatoes to the mixing bowl and toss them gently in the pesto. 

  4. When ready to serve, put a small to medium size bowl upside down on a round serving platter. Place the the asparagus in spoke fashion around the bowl. Remove the bowl and gently arrange the roasted tomatoes in the center. Garnish the tomatoes with the basil and serve the Sherry Vinaigrette on the side for the asparagus.