Del Ponte's Inspired Asparagus Salad

If you have never been to Del Ponte's in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, you are missing out on something spectacular! All their panini sandwiches are made with their homemade bread, the pizza is coal fired and they offer a wide range of really delicious salads. My favorite salad to order when I visit is the Roasted Asparagus Salad.

With my hectic schedule these days I have decided to "copycat" the recipe so I can enjoy it at home. PLEASE be sure to visit Del Ponte's as well as their bakery attached to the pizzeria. It won't disappoint!

Roasted Asparagus Salad - Serves 2
1 head of Romaine lettuce cut into bite size pieces (you can also throw in some baby spinach)
8-10 mini balls of fresh mozzarella
2 oz pickled beet slices
8 sprigs of oven roasted asparagus cut into 1/4 pieces (recipe follows)
12 candied hazelnuts (recipe follows)
4 oz oven roasted chicken strips (I use leftover rotisserie chicken)
Your favorite brand of vinaigrette dressing
Croutons or Bread Toasts
salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Asparagus
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place asparagus spears on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 1/4 cup vinaigrette over and turn to coat, then spread in single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus until just crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Cut into pieces. Set aside.

Candied Hazelnuts

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons egg white
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine the ingredients, tossing well to coat. Place hazelnut mixture on a nonstick baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool.


Assemble The Salad:
Combine romaine lettuce and asparagus in large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Transfer salad to 2 plates; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each plate with equal amounts of mozzarella, beets, hazelnuts and chicken strips and croutons. Serve at room temperature.

NOTE: Check out...
Del Ponte's: http://www.delpontescoalfiredpizza.com/index.html
Bakery: http://delpontesbakery.com/index.html