Asparagus sings with a Spanish Romesco sauce
It’s time to revisit grilled vegetables! Anyone who has read one of my books, articles or grilled with me knows, my mantra is “oil the food, not the grates.”
It makes sense that you would oil the vegetables to keep all the juices inside and prevent them from drying out. After all, dried fruit and vegetables are made by slowly dehydrating (the juices out of ) them. A little bit of oil creates a barrier that prevents the natural juices from evaporating as the vegetables cook and the oil promotes caramelization, a.k.a. those great grill marks. This is important because grill marks equal flavor, and a juicy vegetable is much tastier than a dried-out one.
Grilled vegetables are good all on their own, but they are even better with a great Romesco sauce to drizzle over them or dip them into. Romesco sauce is a red pepper, almond and tomato sauce that hails from the Catalonia part Spain where it was originally served with seafood and charred onions. Romesco is gaining popularity in the states and I have seen it served with just about everything. It is my favorite summer condiment and I use it to dress up grilled shrimp, fish, poultry, meat and all manner of vegetables. tips and moist ends) Olive oil Kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon Romesco Sauce (recipe below)
and snap or cut off bottom. Place asparagus in a re-sealable plastic bag and drizzle just enough oil in the bag to coat all the spears. Seal bag and turn spears to coat evenly in the bag. Sprinkle with salt, reseal bag and turn again to evenly distribute the salt. Place asparagus on the cooking grate over direct heat for 3-5 minutes or until marked and caramelized. Turn spears occasionally to grill each side. Asparagus should begin to brown in spots (this indicates that the natural sugars are caramelizing) but should not char.
Rinse asparagus
Nutrition information per serving: 52 calories; 40 calories from fat; 4 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 122 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 1 g protein.
Remove from grill and serve immediately with Romesco sauce.
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, more if needed teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cut out the core and drizzle the center of each tomato with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a disposable aluminum tray and place in the center of the cooking grate. Grill-roast for 30-45 minutes or until tomatoes are caramelized and soft. (Note, this is also a good time to roast the pepper and the garlic the pepper will take about 15 minutes and the garlic will take about 45 minutes.) Remove from grill and let cool in the pan, making sure to keep any of the juices that escaped.
1 roasted red pepper (see recipe below) 1 head garlic, roasted (see recipe below) cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt; more to taste Wash and dry tomatoes.
Peel and seed peppers and remove garlic from skin and set aside. Using a food processor or a blender, place tomatoes, their juice, roasted pepper and roasted garlic together and puree. Add vinegar and almonds and puree until smooth and uniformly chunky. Add ancho chili and smoked paprika and pulse to combine. Slowly add olive oil until you like the consistency of the sauce. Add salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper. Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (I store the sauce in glass mason jars–this recipe fills 2 pint jars, you can keep one and give one away!)
of papery skin from garlic. Slice off top ⁄ -inch from pointy top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap in foil and cook on grill over medium-high indirect for 40 minutes or until cloves are golden-brown and soft. Alternatively, place in a 350 F oven. Remove from grill or oven and let cool. Follow recipe instructions.