For a long time I thought the you should only buy pencil-thin asparagus. Somewhere I heard the bigger the asparagus the woodier they became. This is not true! It's all about the freshness and the snap test. It's Farmer's Market season and our local asparagus guy is really passionate about these squashing rumors!
My favorite way to cook asparagus is on the grill. Here's my recipe and instructions for the snap test.
1 bunch of asparagus stalks
1 gallon size zip lock bag
1/2 olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Wash asparagus and lay on paper towel. Take the stalk and bend towards the end. Wherever the stalk starts to get tough it will break. Do that with each piece. If you're running short on time you can cut all the pieces to the same length as the one you snapped. Next pat dry the asparagus and place into the gallon size zip lock bag. Pour enough olive oil into the bag to coat each asparagus. For one bunch this is approximately 1/2 cup. Season with salt and black pepper to your liking. Marinade the asparagus for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours. When ready, BBQ and grill over direct heat. Turnover asparagus after about 5 minutes per side (time varies depending on size). Serve immediately.
My Mom's twist (literally, haha) is to wrap a couple stalks of asparagus in bacon. Place the asparagus pairs wrapped in bacon on the grill over direct heat. As the bacon crisps it will hold the asparagus together. No need for a toothpick or anything!
There are fantastic recipes out there for saute'ed and steamed asparagus as well. No matter the method asparagus is awesome!
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