Grilled Asparagus

I saw these beautiful, pencil-thin asparagus at the grocery the other day and couldn't pass them up. I've heard some tv chefs say that the thick asparagus is the best but I've always preferred the skinny ones. You just have to be careful not to overcook them. This method for grilling on top of foil worked well for me. Try out some different seasonings and spices too. And, if you have any leftover, warm it in the oven with some parmesan cheese on top, all topped with a fried or poached egg. This recipe is my own.

Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2, with leftovers

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus
• squeeze of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 tsp each salt and pepper

Prep

1. Heat your grill to medium-high. 
2. Rinse your asparagus and remove the bottoms of the stems. The easiest way to do this is to take one spear and see where it naturally snaps off at the end. Then, line up your spears and cut the rest at about the same spot. You really shouldn't have to cut off any more than 1 inch from these skinny ones.
3. Lay out a large sheet of foil.
4. Peel and finely chop your garlic clove.

5. If your asparagus are still wet, dry them off with a paper towel and lay them out on top of the foil.
6. Add your 2 TBSP olive oil, squeeze of 1/2 a lemon, chopped garlic clove and 2 tsp each of salt and pepper to the asparagus and use your hands to toss it altogether.

Cook

1. When your grill is ready, (should take about 20 minutes from when you preheated) carry out your foil-lined pan of asparagus.
2. Take the foil off the pan and add it to the grill, making sure the asparagus are laid out evenly.

3. Close the lid of the grill and let cook for 5 minutes or so.
4. Use a spatula to toss the asparagus around, close the lid and let it cook for a few more minutes.
5. When it's done to your liking, use oven mitts to transfer the foil back to your baking pan.
6. If you're not serving immediately, wrap the foil around the asparagus to keep warm until serving.