Grilled Asparagus
Have you ever had grilled asparagus?
Matt and I had only just this year
discovered the absolute deliciousness that is grilled asparagus, of
course we didn't really have a barbeque until the middle of last year
either. In any case, if it is new to you, as it was to me you are in
for a treat! I love the taste of grilled things. We make veggie kababs
quite regularly. The almost smoky, grilled taste adds so much
dimension to just about any meal. Asparagus is especially excellent grilled. It
is tender and tasty even with the simplest of seasonings.
I want to grow my own asparagus someday. I mean, a vegetable that comes back every year without planting....what's not to love?!
We used to spear our asparagus spears (how is that for confusing terminology?) on a metal kabob skewer as shown in the
photos. However, we recently acquired a slim grilling basket that make
the task even easier as you don't have to slide the asparagus onto the
skewers, but just lay them inside the basket in a single layer.
In either case the asparagus are lightly brushed with olive
oil and tossed on the grill. (Larger spears are peeled and the woody
ends cut off first.) Cook them until they just start to show
signs of blackening, being flipped halfway through and brushing with oil
as needed. Its usually about five minutes per side. Remove from grill and season with salt and pepper to
taste. Easy-peasy and quite fast, too.
The basket is a good idea. I love asparagus and bought plants this year, and I will be eating asparagus next year. You do know you have to wait until the second year to eat it? That is what I hear. Looks yummy. Did you put anykind of oil or sauce on it as it cooked?
ReplyDeleteoops just realised I said pretty much the same as you!
DeleteWe brush it with additional olive oil if needed.
DeleteMMMMMmmm! one of our favourites too. Have you ever tried the grilling then dipping the asparagus into a soft boiled egg? It's the best!!
ReplyDeleteI planted a new asparagus bed 2 years ago from crowns I bought. This spring will be it's third year. The most difficult part is not eating any of the wee asparagus that come up for the first couple of years so that all the energy can go back into the soil. ( well you can eat a few!) This spring I'm really hoping ours will come into its own! You do need to do a bit of nurturing, at the moment mine is covered by a nice warm bed of alpaca poo and straw!!
Confession: I've never in my life eaten a soft boiled egg. I've never been much of an egg fan period, but soon enough (fingers crossed) our city council will permit the keeping of laying hens at which point I am going to teach myself to like eggs (aside from in bread and cookies that is, which I already like!). I'll keep the asparagus thing in mind for when that comes to pass.
DeleteWhile I knew that asparagus would take time to be ready for harvesting I sincerely do appreciate you both warning me that I'd have to be patient when I start developing a bed of my own. I had to break the news to someone that strawberries would really be better if you pinched off the blossoms the first year so the energy goes into robust plants/roots. They were pretty sad to hear my news and I think disregarded it because they really wanted to eat those few strawberries. Which is fine. To each their own.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is hard to hold back when you are so eagerly awaiting them! (I hope this year is the year for your asparagus, Laura!)
We love asparagus on the grill also, though we really only started eating it once we moved to CA as it and all produce is so available and affordable here. Sometimes i do it in foil with garlic and olive oil, but usually i just throw 'em on the grill seasoned like you do and roll them a couple times. I like the idea of the kabob stick to make flipping them all at once a possibility...
ReplyDeleteOh man! In foil with garlic! Why have I not tried this?!
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