How to Grill Asparagus
Firing up the grill with family and friends this weekend? Don’t forget the veggies. Grilled asparagus tastes great and takes only minutes to cook. The best way to grill asparagus is with a simple marinade. Just ask my kids – this grilled asparagus recipe makes this vegetable one of their favorites (second only to Italian style carrots). How do I grill asparagus? Here’s our recipe:
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…
How long do you grill asparagus?
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 grilled asparagus to melt
That’s it for this grilled asparagus recipe! Now you know how to grill asparagus the best way.
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. It was the only way I take my grilled asparagus. I assumed the chef knew how to grill asparagus with a marinade as good as my own.
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 on grilled asparagus? I only knew how to grill asparagus with shaved parmesan.
My daughter saw I was stumped and came to the rescue, saying, “Grated would be fine.”
Thank God for girls.
- Classic Gin Martini Recipe
- Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe – Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- Pasta With Peas Recipe
- Moist Banana Bread Recipe (Cooking is Sexy)
- Grilling With Grandpa
- The Best Chicken and Dumplings
- How to Grill Salmon the Best Way
- Worlds Best Hamburger Recipe
- How to Cook Beets
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Comment by pajama momma
| May 24th, 2008
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.
Ah, so that’s what it is. I need to remember not to serve gin at my next party.
Comment by mapiprincesa
| May 24th, 2008
Damn right–Thank God for girls.
And never forget that! :)
Comment by Susan
| May 24th, 2008
My kids and I love asparagus, and we make it just about the same way. My too-picky daughter won’t put cheese on it…but she’ll eat asparagus itself?! I don’t pretend to understand.
And, yes — thank God for girls. At least one of you male specimens is smart. ;)
Comment by The Exception
| May 24th, 2008
Sounds delicious!
Thank Gof for the men who appreciate just how wonderful girls are!
Comment by Chris
| May 24th, 2008
That was a nice save…My girls also do the same thing.
Comment by littlemansmom
| May 26th, 2008
Bwaaaaahaaahaaa…. yep, you’ve got a good one there!
Comment by singleworkingmommy
| May 26th, 2008
I loved grilled asparagus–have never tried it with shaved/grated parm. Will have to, next time.
You’re a great writer (and I’m an editor, so take that for what you will)–I could picture the restaurant, the setting, the mood. I could almost feel your gin-induced fog. Great piece.
Except I get this “cree.pee” vibe from you. Is that weird? Am I just a prude? Please don’t be offended. I could very well be a prude. And maybe it’s because the only other post I’ve ever read was the one where you tried to take your online girlfriend to the woods during a hike and have your way with her. J/k. Except for the cree.pee part. I do get that. K. bai.
Comment by dadshouse
| May 27th, 2008
SingleWorkingMommy – thanks for the feedback! You aren’t by chance an editor in a Big 8 Publishing House? (smile)
Don’t worry, I’m not offended. In fact, I’m thrilled with your reaction. In fact, I felt the issue was so important that I responded with an entirely new post: A Creepy Writing Vibe.
(Not that it has anything to do with how to grill asparagus…)
Comment by Lollie
| May 27th, 2008
I’m still trying to get past the getting buzzed and oogling young hotties while your son wheeled around a crowded restaurant on his Heelies and your daughter having to run interference with the waitress because you were too drunk to understand. Hope you weren’t driving.
Sounds cree.pee AND irresponsible…
Comment by Lance
| May 27th, 2008
Hey, just read this piece. Wow, I’m not sure where to even begin. Since we have such different audiences, I’ll take it easy on this one.
DM saw some hot chicks at a restaurant and he was acknowledging their attraction AND his masculinity. Nothing more. What’s wrong about that? Why is that creepy? Uh, it’s not. In fact, I would encourage him to push it further and talk about the ACTUAL fantasies he was having, which probably involved a lot of x-rated stuff. Dude, we all have fantasies, and we all love sex. Seriously, do any of readers here deny that?
DM, next time you’re in that situation, this is what you do. Walk up to them with a big smile and say, “Hey ladies, you look like you were having SO MUCH fun, I had say hello.” I guarantee you’ll be a big hit. Don’t leave until you have 2-3 phone numbers or emails.
@singleworkingmommy: If you’re an editor, why the heck are you using leetspeak like “cree.pee,” “K,” and “Bai”?? You should know better than that.
Comment by singleworkingmommy
| May 27th, 2008
I did the leetspeak because it’s funny–and I was trying to inject some humor. So Dad’s House didn’t think I was a big ol’ jerk. Because he seems like a genuinely nice person, just he creeps me out sometimes. And I think it’s mostly because of my own personal hangups… not anything he’s doing. Maybe.
Comment by dadshouse
| May 27th, 2008
SingleWorkingMommy – I liked the shorthand like ‘cree.pee’, ‘k’, and ‘bai’. As someone who has exchanged emails with agents and editors, I can say they are the least formal professional group I have ever interacted with. It’s not uncommon for them to throw capitalization and punctuation out the door when writing an electronic correspondence.
Lance – thanks for the male support. I love your suggestion of approaching and acknoweldging the fun they’re having. I think women would be shocked if they really knew what men think about. Like I said in my other post, I’m glad to elicit strong reactions. It means I’m connecting on some emotional level. For a writer, that’s a good thing.
Lollie – rest assured it was one cocktail before eating. Once I had dinner, I was totally fine to drive home. So, no irresponsibility. As for the cree.pee factor, see Lance’s comment.
Comment by Honey
| May 27th, 2008
The BF got an asparagus salad at a restaurant once…and didn’t eat any of the asparagus because he’d never had it before, didn’t know how to eat it, and was too embarrassed to ask (we were out to dinner with a bunch of people). He ate around it! I thought he wasn’t hungry, but then he asked for food on the way home. Poor guy!
Comment by aaron
| August 3rd, 2008
until you have 2-3 phone numbers of emails Now what the heck does one get a phone number of emails? [Ed. Note: looks like a typo in one of the comments. I just fixed it to say 'or'. Else, you're right - pretty funny, makes no sense!]
Comment by NewWrldYankee
| August 4th, 2008
The email thing totally made me laugh, because a while ago, a bunch of us were out on the town, and one of my friends -bless him – is a a sweetheart, but not always best with the ladies. He seemed to be actually doing well with this girl, and was hanging her a pen and a napkin (Odd in this world, where everyone seems to just whip out their cell phones), and she gave him this weird look and wrote something down. I asked him what was up when he came back, and he, so estatic, said “I got her 3-dub!” *3-dub meaning www, so he got her email* No wonder the weird look, prob the first time someone asked for an email, and not a #! Keep up the stories – loving them!
Comment by Ergo Baby Carrier
| March 10th, 2009
We brush asparagus with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and grill. Very simple and delicious!