Cooking just seems to get a little easier and a lot more fun this time of year. There is something about the combination of longer days, warmer weather, and Spring produce that make for great dinners. I will use asparagus to illustrate my point. Asparagus during the winter is flown to the Bay Area markets from Mexico and places even farther away. By and large this imported asparagus tastes like cardboard so for the last several years I have taken to only eating locally grown asparagus that is available starting in mid to late February and starts to disappear by June. One of my favorite things to do this time year is to take advantage of long days and warm weather by grilling as much as possible. Why heat up the house at dinner time when you can be outside grilling your dinner? Asparagus is great on the grill - just keep a few things in mind to achieve the best results.
(1) Blanch the asparagus first. Yes blanching the asparagus before grilling adds an extra step but it is well worth it because you will not end up with grilled asparagus that is charred on the outside and raw on the inside. Fresh asparagus needs only one minute in boiling water before you plunge it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep the vibrant green color. This can be done hours before grilling the asparagus or even the day before and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.
(2) Grilling the asparagus. Season the blanched asparagus with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a good quality olive oil. If the coals are too hot it will burn the asparagus so I like to first grill my meat or fish and then grill the asparagus over the lower heat. The idea is to leave the asparagus on for about two minutes a side so you get the great grill flavor but do not overcook them. Serve hot or at room temperature. For a buffet you can arrange the asparagus on a platter and then scatter cherry tomatoes cut in half around the spears for a nice presentation.
Enjoy your Spring culinary adventures and look for more tips soon from Eclecdish.
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