How to Grill Asparagus
Firing up the grill with family and friends this long weekend? Don’t forget the veggies. Grilled asparagus tastes great and takes only minutes to cook. It’s one of my kids’ favorite vegetables (second only to Italian style carrots). Here’s our recipe, part of a healthy meal plan:
Rinse a bunch of asparagus in water
Snap the stalks and discard the bottom (Tip: by snapping with your hands rather than cutting with a knife, you’ll naturally locate the very spot that separates the good part from the bad)
Marinade the asparagus in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
Let these sit while you grill your main course – tri-tip, chicken skewers, whatever…
Seven minutes before you’re ready to eat –
Grill the asparagus for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook 3 minutes more
Drizzle shaved parmesan cheese on the asparagus and melt
That’s it!
A funny anecdote – a few summers ago my kids and I toured the east coast, hitting Boston, Providence, Manhattan, Philly, and parts of Virginia. While in Newport, Rhode Island, we dined one night at the Red Parrot, a three-story tall restaurant that was packed (so we knew it was good).
They seated us on the third floor along with a bachelorette party, and Bob Marley reggae setting a festive mood. Just me, my kids, and twenty women – I was in heaven. I sipped a classic Gin Martini and basked in the view. (My back was to the water and I was facing the bachelorettes, and I must say the view was quite spectacular.)
Meanwhile, my son was wearing Heelys, those shoes with wheels in the heels. Our server was busy, and my son was bored, so he heelied around an empty part of the floor. He was a hit with the hottie bachelorettes (and it wasn’t his Axe body spray.) Note to self: no need to save up for a red Ferrari; red Heelys will do just fine. I was buzzed from my martini and in a great mood from all the sexy feminine energy in the room. Plus, I was on vacation with my kids – what’s not to like?
When the waitress took our order I asked what vegetable they were serving.
“Asparagus,” she said.
“Oh, is it grilled asparagus?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “But I can ask the chef if he can grill it.”
“Okay, but it’s got to have shaved parmesan cheese melted on top,” I said.
The waitress gave me one of those O-kaaaay looks, then headed to the kitchen.
I sipped my martini, my daughter watched the sunset, my son heelied around the room, the bachelorettes chatted, frequently laughing with heads thrown back, necks exposed, body language screaming they needed a man. (At least that’s my male gin-induced interpretation of their good time.) The whole of my existence felt sublime.
The waitress came back.
“The chef said he can grill the asparagus, no problem,” she said. “But the parmesan cheese is grated, not shaved.”
Say what?! That threw me for a loop. My brain was foggy from gin, my mind drunk from bachelorettes, and I scowled as I struggled to reconcile her words. Would grated cheese work okay?
My daughter saw I was stumped and came to the rescue, saying, “Grated would be fine.”
Thank God for girls.
- Classic Gin Martini Recipe
- Pasta With Peas Recipe
- Moist Banana Bread Recipe (Cooking is Sexy)
- How to Grill Salmon the Best Way
- How To Pick-Up a Woman in Front of Your Son
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