Warm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon

warm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threads
Weeknights can be crazy around the Heeley house… I usually walk through the door around 8pm, tired and dazed, with a long list of to-dos to finish up before we both head off to bed.

But often Mark makes the nights a whole lot more enjoyable by meeting me at the door with something tasty. We have some old standbys, and it doesn’t have to be fancy, especially since both of us have already had a long day… but while I’d truly be just as happy with a bowl of oatmeal as anything else, sometimes he just can’t help himself.

Mark spent almost a decade managing kitchens prior to the work he does now, and if it weren’t for the hours and unpredictability I think he’d still be doing it. There’s no doubt he’s happiest there, and where I love measurements and ratios and tweaking a recipe little by little until I’ve got it just right, Mark walks into a kitchen like an artist, throwing in a handful of this and a sprinkling of that until he’s created a masterpiece — and this recipe right here is one of those masterpieces.

Truth be told this recipe came to life as a result of whatever we happened to have in the house — some leftover salami, a few lemons that never made it into a pie, spices in the cupboard and some fresh, seasonal asparagus we’ve been meaning to cook up for some time. But we knew right away, as soon as we took the first bite, that it was something we’d be making again and again. The savory, salty salami and tart lemon work together to create what might be the tastiest asparagus dish I’ve ever had. And with just a little bit of crusty bread on the side you have the perfect, easy weeknight meal that also just so happens to feel totally gourmet.

warm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threadswarm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threads
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a pretty lucky girl to come home to this guy. He knows just how to pull at my heart.

… which is, of course, with food.

warm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threadswarm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threads
Warm asparagus salad with dry aged salami

2 pounds asparagus
1 cup dry salami, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon
Parmesan, for shaving

Chop asparagus, cutting and discarding ends, then cutting remaining piece in two. Steam chopped asparagus and pan fry chopped salami.

After approximately 10 minutes, remove salami from heat and add spices and butter to the pan. Once the asparagus is tender, add to the pan with salami and spices. Combine ingredients over low heat and finish by squeezing the juice of one whole lemon over everything. After plating, shave parmesan over and serve with toasty bread.

warm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threadswarm asparagus salad with dry aged salami and lemon // a thousand threads

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