Smoked Chicken, Peach and Asparagus Salad...

"k, this is pretty easy, but is worth trying...

Chop up a handful of snow peas per person, I chop them into three's 'cos it's a bite size and helps spread them out in the salad, toss 'em into a bowl... Peel a large peach, per person, slicing in half to remove the stone, and then slice into 16th's... add to the bowl... allow four or five stems of asparagus per serve, hold each stem half way along in one hand, and bend the base until the stalk snaps - this will remove the woody end of the asparagus, without wasting any of the tender stem... put in a bowl of cold water, add two good strong pinches of salt (stops the colour leaching out), cover with glad wrap, and microwave for three minutes... stir asparagus around, then microwave for another three minutes - less if it's thin stalks, longer if they're thick... as soon as it's cooked, drain and dip into icy cold water to stop it from overcooking, then chop into 1-2 inch long pieces, and add to the snowpeas and peaches... drizzle the lot with a good olive oil, and toss till it's glossy - sprinkle on a generous amount of sesame seeds, toss again, add more seeds, till they're mixed through, speckled over the other ingredients... slice about 100-150 grams of smoked chicken breast for each serve, and mix through... a splash of balsamic vinegar will make this salad sing, although some prefer it without - I recommend trying it, as it adds a tang overall, and works surprisingly well with the peaches...

Throw into individual bowls, and serve as a main - halve the quantities for an entree serve...

Cheers,
Stuart

Stuart - done this for lunch today - first class me old china - I agree with you about Balamic Vinegar - wonderful stuff - I added a few white grapes - thanks for this - recommended and easy - will do it again with a steak and potato rosti as a main meal. John

Glad you liked it... it works well with one peach and one orange, too...