Warm Asparagus Salad with Wild Garlic Pesto

Ingredients:

1 pinch of sugar
salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated artisan cheese (Bergkäse)
1 teaspoon honey
scant 3.5 oz. (100 ml)cold-pressed rapeseed oil (Rapsöl, or canola oil)
scant 2 oz. (50 g) pine nuts
3.5 oz. (100 g) fresh wild garlic leaves
lemon juice
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil (Rapsöl, or canola oil)
7 oz. (200 g) arugula
2 lbs. white asparagus

Preparation:

Wash the asparagus and peel the spears from just below the head downwards. To a pan of boiling water add salt, sugar and some lemon juice and cook the asparagus to desired texture (10 minutes recommended).

Thoroughly wash the wild garlic leaves and place them in a tall narrow container. Add the rapeseed oil and honey and puré with a hand or immersion mixer. Add the pine nuts and the grated cheese and, blend again and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat rapeseed oil in a pan and quickly sauté the asparagus. Season to taste and marinate the spears with rapeseed oil and vinegar. Arrange the asparagus on a large serving plate, drizzle with the pesto dressing. Top with the rinsed arugula leaves, drizzle with remainder of the dressing and serve immediately.