Asparagus is a great vegetable, despite its side effects.  However, most people only steam or boil it. Sadly, during the summer, when asparargus abounds, no one wants to deal with heating the kitchen.  Well, as the grill is already fired up, just toss on the asparagus.  Just be careful that they don’t fall through the grates.  While you tend to want thinner spears for steaming, when grilling use thicker ones if possible.  If using thinner spears, you might want to use a grill basket.  You can make the grilling easier by making asparagus rafts, see the directions below the recipe.

If you have never had grilled asparagus, I urge you to try it now!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Grilling Time: 10-12 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of asparagus, rinsed, dried and tough ends snapped off
1 TBL olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Heat grill to medium.  If making asparagus rafts, follow the directions below this recipe.

2. Place asparagus in a resealable plastic bag.  Add oil, seal bag and knead/shake to evenly coat the asparagus.

3.  Add the remaing ingredients to bag, reseal and knead/shake to distribute the seasonings. Allow to sit for at least 5 mnutes.

4.  Carefull put aspargus on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, carefully turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Remove from grill and serve.

If making asparagus rafts:

2. Take 8 wooden skewers and soak in water for at least 60 minutes. Arrange 8 -10 asparagus spears on a flat surface (can be more or less depending on size of skewers and thickness of spears). CAREFULLY thread 2 skewers horizontally through spears 1 inch from each end to form a raft. Repeat procedure with remaining asparagus spears.

3.  Combine all remaining ingredients in a small bowl and brush on both sides of the rafts.

4. Grill for 5 minutes on each side

5. Remove from grill and serve.