ASPARAGUS WITH OLIVE DRESSING

By akselden

Ingredients

• 1 pound plump asparagus (about 16 spears)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 shallot ,sliced
• 3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup black olives (not canned), pitted
• Pinch of black pepper
• 4 or 5 large-green olives, cut into slivers
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Trim the woody ends of the asparagus,
and peel the base of each spear. Boil the asparagus in lightly salted water for 5 to 7 minutes, until the spears are just cooked through. Drain well and immediately plunge the asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Set the chilled asparagus aside. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients except for the green olives and the pine nuts, Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain the liquid into a bowl and set it aside. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender, along with 1/3 cup of the liquid, and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Add more of the reserved liquid if you need to thin the sauce. Divide the asparagus evenly among four plates. Spoon some of the olive dressing over each pile of spears and sprinkle with a few green-olive slivers and pine nuts to garnish. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.