When a friend of mine moved to Montana from the South years ago someone gave her a book called Cold Weather Cooking. She made me the asparagus vinaigrette from it, and it was delicious. Twenty (ahem!) or so years ago it seemed so sophisticated to me, with its balsamic vinegar and its freshly grated parmesan.

All this cold spring I watched for the domestic asparagus to hit the stores. I never caught it. Today I found the loveliest small spears from California. The richness of the original dressing and cheese seems too heavy in this heat, so I’m going for something brighter. And instead of grating the parmesan, I’ll just use a few shavings of it.

My friend used to toss the cut-up leftovers with hot pasta for a second meal. I’ll bet my new version’s leftovers would be great mixed with cold pasta and halved cherry or grape tomatoes.
 

Bright Asparagus Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

1 pound lovely asparagus
Freshly shaved parmesan cheese
Fresh black pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk the first five ingredients. Steam the asparagus until bright green and crisp-tender (2 to 4 minutes). Drain, then immediately plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain again. Arrange on a platter and pour on the dressing. Top with parmesan and black pepper.