Truly, this is my one of my families favorite times of year – the days are longer and warmer, school is wrapping up for the year, and there is bountiful fresh ASPARAGUS!! When I was a kid, my family traveled every Memorial Day weekend to just outside of Atkinson to pick wild asparagus in the meadows. We would pick buckets and buckets of asparagus and then our mom’s would freeze the extra to have all winter long. Of course, we ate asparagus like crazy until we were emitting odors that no normal person could stand – if you’ve consumed your fair share of the green stuff, you know what I mean!
These days we have a good sized patch of asparagus in our garden – enough to really feed us from now until about Memorial Day. But, my husband also has scouted out every patch of wild asparagus within a ten mile radius of us. One of the problems you sometimes run into with asparagus, especially when you buy it from the store, is that the base gets “woody” and you end up throwing away half the stalk. You don’t have to! Simple take off the tougher outer skin and cook, as usual.
We eat it several times a week during the peak season – so that means finding new ways to cook it! Here are two of my absolutely favorite ways to prepare asparagus – both super simple and ready in less than 15 minutes on the grill or stovetop.
Grilled Lemon-Pepper Asparagus
All you need:
- asparagus spears
- fresh lemon
- fresh ground pepper
- olive oil
- Aluminum foil or veggie grill pan
All you do:
- Clean asparagus, shave off woody stalks, as needed. Place on grill pan or foil.
- Drizzle olive oil over asparagus. Sprinkle with fresh lemon peel and ground pepper.
- Grill at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. We like ours a little crisp, so we only grill for about 5-8 minutes.
Options: Hy-Vee sells a wonderful lemon flavored olive oil that is fantastic with grilled vegetables! Of course, you can also use lemon-pepper seasoning, but I think that the fresh gives a better flavor.
Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
All you need:
- asparagus spears
- Garlic & Herb flavored soft cheese (Alouette or Laughing Cow work well)
- prosciutto (look for this in the deli meats or specialty cheeses)
All you do:
- Clean asparagus, shave off woody stalks, as needed.
- Spread Garlic flavored soft cheese onto a slice of prosciutto (we use just a half slice) and roll onto one asparagus spear.
- Grill on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until the prosciutto is crispy and browned. Enjoy!
Guess what we are having for supper tonight?!?