Recipe: Warm Shiitake and Asparagus Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

Shiitakes are a bit of a wonder food. The Japanese prize them for the virility they're believed to bestow on the eater. They're a great vegetarian staple at 20% protein- more than chicken coldcuts! I eat them for their bold flavour and texture. I got hooked on them when i worked on a farm down the road from a producer near Guelph.

Shiitakes are usually cultivated in hardwood logs, typically oak or maple. I think they're a great, albeit time-consuming crop for anyone with a bit of a woodlot they'd like to put to use. Through selective harvesting and thinning, one can select good, healthy logs and innoculate them with Shiitake spawn, which is often sold for very little by producers. The innoculated logs do require a lot of care- watering in dry periods, harvesting twice daily, and so on- but ten or twelve good-sized Shiitakes can fetch about four dollars at market. When I sold the abovementioned producer's fare in Toronto, I would sell out within the first hour. Of course, they're just lovely to have for home consumption as well.

Asparagus and Shiitake both have bold flavour and wonderful texture. I think the goat cheese in this recipe really smooths them out and helps them to coalesce. If you're really a flavour junkie, forget about the baked goat cheese, and crumble some nice soft blue cheese over the salad to finish.

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

Warm Shiitake and Asparagus Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

• 1 small log herbed or plain chèvre (soft goat cheese), chilled

• 1 tbsp fine dry bread crumbs

• 1/4 tsp paprika

• 1-1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp butter

• 12 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/3 cup water

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tsp fresh tarragon, minced

• 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced

Slice goat cheese into 8 equal rounds. Mix bread crumbs with paprika, salt and pepper in small dish; coat each side of rounds. Place cheese on baking sheet; set aside.

Arrange asparagus on rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast in 475 F oven for 7 to 10 minutes or just until tender. Remove from oven; cover to keep warm. Place goat cheese in oven and bake until hot, 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, red pepper and garlic; cook, stirring until mushrooms are lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in water, vinegar, thyme, and tarragon.

Arrange asparagus on salad plates; spoon mushroom mixture atop. Top each serving with 2 rounds of goat cheese. Garnish with fresh herbs.