Grilled Asparagus

Just over two weeks ago, Mike had an accident on his bicycle and broke his collar bone. He hit the ground going 23 mph and is probably really lucky that the collar bone was the worst of it. He has been home and out of work for these past weeks and will be home for at least a couple more.

Somehow in these two weeks since the accident, I have managed to barely cook at all, yet we are generating unprecedented quantities of dirty dishes. I have no idea how that is possible, except that we are very well behaved about eating takeout Chinese or falafel or sushi on our ceramic plates, which then need to we washed. By me. Because Mike only has one arm at the moment.

The only thing that I have really managed to get onto dinner plates for the two of us is grilled asparagus, maybe because it is such a seasonal food, and not even my poor injured husband will keep me from fresh, local asparagus. From the time that I was little, asparagus has been one of our classic family foods. For other (perhaps more normal) families, it was peas or carrots. For us, it was asparagus and artichokes.

My parents still have the special white enameled pot with a stained interior that is used only for cooking asparagus. Oblong with a rack inside perfect for cradling the tender spears, the pot held just enough water to cover the asparagus. Half the rack broke about two decades ago and it was fixed with string, which is now also dyed the unique gray-green color of asparagus. The asparagus was boiled only until blanched bright green. These then were eaten with our fingers, as was the French custom passed down from my grandmother, tips dipped in ranch dressing, a more American interpretation, to be sure.

Somehow a few years ago, someone in the family got the idea to throw the asparagus on the grill instead. Rolled in a little bit of olive oil with chopped garlic and a generous pinch of salt, grilling gives these gorgeous veggies a deep nutty flavor that even asparagus haters are bound to love. Asparagus lovers will just have one more way to love asparagus. We have a full on mutiny if asparagus is prepared the old way now. Boiled asparagus requires an explanation, like torrential downpour, or blizzard, or too much other stuff on the grill. Our poor white enameled asparagus pot sits in the back of my parents’ cupboard, waiting for the day when it will be called into service again, but it isn’t looking too good.



Grilled Asparagus

The spears seem to shrink on the grill. Cook more than you think you will need. We are big veggie fans, and I cook about a pound for the two of us. In inclement weather, feel free to broil these about 4 inches from the heating element for about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; they will burn before you know it.

1 pound asparagus spears, washed, ends trimmed*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
sprinkle sea salt

Place the asparagus in a one gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add garlic, olive oil, and sea salt and mix together well. This can sit for about an hour before you use it.

Preheat grill to medium-high. Immediately before you are ready to eat, place the asparagus on the grill perpendicular to the grates, so the spears don’t fall through.** Grill until tender and has good grill marks.

(Serves 2-3)


* Trimming should be done carefully and by hand. Break off the end as close to the bottom as you can. It will naturally break at the right point, leaving the tender part for you to eat and the woody end for the compost (or the dogs, in my parents’ case!)

** You can use a veggie rack for this, but I find it unnecessary