Fun Guy. - Asparagus & Pecorino Salad

Tomorrow will be my first free Saturday in what seems like months. What with all the out-of-town visits, the arduous wine tasting, the wedding and the camping, I finally have a day to do the obligatory cleaning and a very thorough visit to the farmer's market. I might even venture over to the San Francisco Ferry Building tomorrow, and pay a visit to my favorite mushroom guys, Far West Fungi. Ever wanted to grow your own mushrooms at home? Well, they can help you with that. They even have a convenient online store, for those of you unlucky enough to live further than a quick BART ride away. The Ferry Building Farmer's Market really is an embarrassment of riches. I might even have to stick around for the happy hour special of $1 oysters at Hog Island Oysters, just to make the trip "easier."

The mushroom guys have reminded me of my favorite joke.

So a mushroom walks into a bar. He sees a stunning blonde sitting alone at said bar. He goes up to her and says, "Hey, how about I buy you a drink and we go get some dinner?" The blonde says, "No thank you, I don't go out with mushrooms." The mushroom replies, "Why not? I'm a fun guy!" Fun guy. Fungi. Get it..."Fun Guy?!"

Crickets. Crickets.

With my refrigerator looking sadly empty, but for a bunch of asparagus, a block of cheese and a few random herbs, I scoured the blogs for some sort of mad genius recipe. I found it at thekitchn who found it from Mario Batali. I had the pleasure of eating at his restaurant Lupa in New York with Brian, Ben and Tom several years ago and I fondly remember it as one of the best meals I've ever had. Perhaps due to such stellar company. I remember they were playing Journey in the restaurant (always a good sign in my opinion and not to mention, one of my karaoke songs of choice) and that it was my first time eating oxtail (it was delicious) and that we all moaned happily over the dessert and the wine. What those were I can't recall, except that it was all fantastic.

So. From Mario, to thekitchn, to me, to you:

Asparagus & Pecorino Salad
Adapted from thekitchn
Serves 4

8 ounces fresh asparagus
1 tbsp good-quality olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped basil
2 tsp chopped mint
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, diced and smashed into little bits
freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Chop the aspargus and pecorino into small bite size pieces. You don't want to grate the pecorino, as the pieces should be a similar size to the asparagus. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon, and herbs. Toss all together in a bowl. Add the salt and the black pepper. Serve at room temperature.