(Serves 2)

• 6 or 7 thick stemmed asparagus (skinny ones won’t work), bottoms trimmed
• 3 medium radishes, shaved on a mandoline
• 1 cup snap peas, julienned
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, torn
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar (or one tbsp plain rice wine vinegar mixed with 1 tsp sugar or honey)
• Kosher salt
• black pepper, from peppermill
• 4 pieces of good quality bread, toasted
• flaky sea salt

Add ricotta cheese, a pinch of Kosher salt, and a few cranks of black pepper to the bowl of a food processor, and process for appx. 1 minute, or until smooth and airy. With the food processor running, drizzle in 2 tbsp of olive oil and process for another 30 seconds. Set aside while assembling salad.

Using a vegetable peeler, make asparagus ribbons by holding trimmed end of asparagus in hand, and peeling away from yourself. 6 large asparagus should yield about 1 cup of asparagus ribbons. In a medium bowl, combine asparagus ribbons, shaved radish, and julienned snap peas. Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil and rice wine vinegar. (Note: DO NOT dress salad until ready to serve because the asparagus ribbons get soggy very quickly.) Plate salads and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Smear a couple tbsp of whipped ricotta on each piece of toast and sprinkle with mint, lemon zest, flaky sea salt, and black pepper. Serve alongside salad.