Grilled Asparagus
Servings: 4 people
- 16 ounces (1 lb) (500 grams) asparagus
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 twists black pepper
- Preheat the grill pan on medium-high heat for 3 minutes or if you use a grill, preheat to medium heat (that's around 370°F or 190°C) and brush the grill grates clean.In the meantime, rinse and trim the woody ends of the asparagus with a sharp knife, or snap ends with your hands.
- Transfer to a dish and season with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss with your hands to coat evenly in oil.
- When the grill pan is hot, arrange the asparagus on it and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick the asparagus stalks are. The ones in the picture took exactly 10 minutes. Turn the asparagus with tongs a few times.Tip: if you use a grill, arrange the asparagus perpendicular to the grill bars. You can also use a grill basket to keep them together.
- The asparagus are cooked when tender on the inside, with still some bite and with char marks on the surface. To check doneness, poke them with fork. If it slides in easily, the asparagus are ready. They should be fork tender, but not mushy. See notes below for serving suggestions.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
LEMON AND HERBS The simplest way to serve grilled asparagus is to add a squeeze of lemon juice. Good quality balsamic vinegar is also a good option. Fresh herbs such as flat-leaf parsley and basil are also delicious with asparagus. Finely chop them and sprinkle them on top. Nuts like pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are delicious with it too. Lightly toast them and sprinkle them on top. BUTTER AND LEMON To add a little more oomph (and calories) to this side dish, you could use some butter or vegan butter. Add a teaspoon or two of vegan butter onto the asparagus. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon, and sprinkle with finely chopped flat-leaf parsley. Smokey, crunchy, velvety, and citrusy. Irresistible. MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE This is our vegan version of honey-mustard vinaigrette. Make it with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of mustard, ½ teaspoon of salt, a few twists of black pepper, and some grated garlic (or garlic powder). Whisk well and serve alongside the grilled asparagus for people to drizzle on top. This vinaigrette adds a lot of flavor to this simple recipe. It's tangy, zesty, a little sweet, and sour. It's delicious with grilled asparagus. ADD OTHER VEGGIES Other veggies that cook at about the same time as asparagus are sliced zucchini, corn, sliced eggplant, chopped bell peppers, and mushrooms. Even grilled tofu is delicious with it. In this case, our advice is to coat it in our tofu marinade before grilling it.