Whitney Stewart doesn’t have an ounce of Italian blood in her, but she tries to cook as if she had grown up with a gaggle of siblings in some provincial town in the south of Italy. This salad is one of her creations, invented during one of those longing moments. 

Grilling makes anything good, and asparagus is no exception. Bright green, crisp-tender, with a hint of smokiness. Yum. Here’s a salad that offers a nice mix of flavors to excite all your taste buds. Time to break out the grill and take your stand against a never-ending winter!

Salad can be a challenging meal to pair to wine, but if you pay attention to a few key elements—namely, the standout ingredients and the acidity of the dressing—you can find a great match. It’s easy to overpower a salad with wine, but if you pay attention to the weight and body of each, you can strike the right balance. Check out this basic salad recipe and wine pairing, then share your own variations and wine pairings!

Try this salad with marinated mushrooms for a cool fall luncheon or first course. From WineTable Executive Chef Harry Haff.