Asparagus tomato salad with chive blossom vinegar

The house came with an abundance of chives. Now it has a superabundance of chives because frankly otherwise there would be weeds in that spot and I can tolerate chives more than weeds so I let them spread until I'm tired of it.

Plus the pretty purple blooms add color to the back alley garden while they last. They're the purple flowers in the foreground before the purple phlox bullies take over the back. And they keep out the other purple thugs: harebells. What is it with the color purple and restless plants?

Asparagus, tomato and pickled chive blossom salad

Adapted from athoughtforfood.net

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons chive blossom vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

Pickled chive blossoms for garnish

Method

Snap tough ends off asparagus and discard (or save for broth). Cut remainder into two-inch pieces. Steam asparagus until just this side of tender. Remove from heat and chill in ice water. (Or if you’re microwave-steaming in a bag, just toss the bag in the freezer briefly to halt the cooking process.)

When cooled down, put asparagus into a large bowl. Cut grape tomatoes in half, or in quarters if large. Toss with asparagus.

Combine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk to emulsify. Toss with asparagus and tomatoes.

Divide asparagus mixture among 4 plates. Crumble goat cheese over salads and garnish with chive blossoms. Serves 4.

 

Chive blossom vinegar

Adapted from cathybarrow.com

Place 1 cup chive blossoms in a jar. Top with 1½ cup white wine vinegar. Cover with lid and keep in a dark place for 2 weeks. You can remove the chive blossoms at this point if it’s strong enough or else let it go a few more weeks. Strain into a jar and keep in the refrigerator to help retain its color.

Rating: Obviously I should have been making this vinegar ever since I lived with all those chive blossoms. It's got just the right touch of chive tang without being overpowering. This is so going in every vinaigrette until it's gone. (Vinaigrettes, I've had a few. Why haven't I written that book?) It worked very nicely in the asparagus tomato salad, and the goat cheese was a dandy touch.