Summer, aka “grilling season”, is officially upon us.
HAL-LE-LU-JAH
I love summer! I love HOT weather! I love cooking outside! And I especially love that my husband can take turns cooking outside with me.
(Because, let’s be honest, cooking inside is not really his forte. Have you ever tried baked shrimp and cheese quesadillas with oregano? Sorry, honey.)
When I’m grilling outside the last thing I want to do is keep running in the house to check on stuff that’s cooking inside. I make almost all my veggie accompaniments on the grill as well, so I can soak up as much outdoor time as possible.
Asparagus on the grill can be tricky because you risk losing half of it through the grates. Aside from wrapping it up in aluminum foil before grilling (which basically translates to steaming, rather than grilling) a good trick is to skewer the asparagus. This makes flipping a snap and majorly reduces the number of casualties.
I use small wooden skewers like these to hold a little bundle of asparagus together. You can also get fancy metal ones. Make sure you put two sticks through each group of asparagus, as pictured, so they resemble a little raft. Otherwise, your spears will just twirl around the skewer making them impossible to flip.
- one bunch asparagus (medium size works best)
- olive oil
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Prepare asparagus by either cutting off the bottom ⅓ of each stalk or bending it until it snaps - asparagus will snap at just the right spot where the woody part begins. Try it!
- Thread asparagus stalks onto 6-inch skewers (wooden skewers are supposed to be soaked first but, honestly, I rarely do it).
- Brush aspargus “rafts” with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Heat grill to medium heat (mine read about 375 degrees F).
- Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes per side, or until done to your liking.
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Asparagus casualties … I love the visual in my head … oh no, we’ve lost another one
CJ at Food Stories recently posted..Cauliflower Rice
It’s true, CJ, I hate when that happens! I did lose one this time because it fell off the skewer.
What a great tip! I bet this would work well for long slices of pepper and zucchini too. I love tossing fresh vegetables in a little olive oil and getting some nice charring on them!
Val recently posted..How to Return to Summer Activities without Injury
I bet it would, Val. And it makes a nice presentation!
Great tip Julie! I always just use a grated grill pan for my asparagus and veggies but this would definitely do the trick!
Lauren @Part Time House Wife recently posted..Skinnied Version of Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza
Great idea!! Will have to try it would have never thought of this!
Ashlee recently posted..05/23/2012 Fitness
Using skewers to hold the asparagus together. . .brilliant!!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction recently posted..Strawberry White Chip Multi-Grain Muffins
Thank you!
Cannot go wrong with a delicious appetiser like this
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..Picnic Time!
Lol…casualties. We call those sacrifices to the Grill Gods.
We do our asparagus the same way, but we use toothpicks and we call them asparagus rafts because…well…they look like rafts. Now I’m gonna have to check and see if we have any asparagus at home to throw on the grill tonight.
Griffin’s Grub recently posted..Cherry Smoked Ribs
I still haven’t gotten around to grilling asparagus, but since I have a ginormous package of those wooden skewers in the pantry, I should really do it soon. Especially since asparagus season is almost over!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies recently posted..Recipe | Orange Cardamom Chocolate Mousse (Dairy-Free!)
Yes, you should. Do it now!
Nice tip! I’ll have to try this on other veggies too.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen recently posted..It’s Cocktail Time | 3 New Books Reviewed and a Giveaway
grilling is my favorite way to prepare asparagus + i normally do it just like this. i usually add a squeeze of lemon, either right before grilling, immediately before serving, or both. (i’m a huge citrus lover). NOM!
amy @ fearless homemaker recently posted..strawberry scones
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