What sauce would your recommend for grilled asparagus?

[NAtiveNewYorker]

Made or store bought? Home made Hollondaise is too tough for me...

[MsMaryMc]

I've made this one again and again--it's wonderful!

Grilled Asparagus W/peppercorn Vinaigrette
http://www.recipezaar.com/115132

(The recipe makes a large amount--I usually cut it in half.)

[hannaone]

Really good with Korean Ssamjang as a dip.

Ssam Jang Sauce
Ingredients

Ssam jang

1/4 cup of soybean paste (Korean-doenjang/Japanese-Miso)
1/2 cup gochujang (Korean chili paste) **
1 fresh red chili pepper
1 fresh green chili pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 green/spring onion
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
water as needed

** gochujang substitute
**1/3 cup fine or medium ground dried red chili pepper
**6 cloves fresh garlic
**1/4 small white or yellow onion
**1 teaspoon sugar
**1 tablespoon of sesame oil
**1 tablespoon rice wine
**3 tablespoon soy sauce
**water as needed

Meal Suggestion
Any Korean grilled or stir fried meat dish like Bulgogi
4 bunches red leaf lettuce (or other large leaf vegetable)
"sticky" rice (Link)
6 cloves garlic
5 fresh jalapeño peppers

Directions

[**Mix gochujang substitute if needed
Place onion, peeled garlic cloves, and soy sauce in a blender and blend until liquified (add a small amount of water if needed).
Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.
Add just enough water to be able to mix. The result should be a very thick paste that must be spooned from the bowl.]

Finely chop (mince) the garlic, chili peppers, and green onion.
In a small mixing bowl, add all Ssam jang ingredients and mix well.
Add a small amount of water if needed to maintain a mixable paste.
Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Separate lettuce leaves, rinse, and drain. Gently pat dry and place on a serving plate.
Thin slice the garlic and peppers, and place in separate small dishes.

Serve with a grilled meat or fish main dish and one bowl of rice for each diner.

How to Eat

Take one lettuce leaf and place in the palm of one hand, add a small spoonful of rice, a piece meat from the meat dish, slice of pepper and garlic, a piece of kimchi, and a dab of the Ssam jang. Close the leaf into a ball and eat the whole roll in one bite. A little practice may be needed to get that "one mouth full" size right.

May also be used as a dip for steamed or grilled firm vegetables like asparagus, carrot, bok choy, celery, etc.

__________________________________________
http://www.hannaone.com/Recipe/index....

[amanda3571]

FWIW, I make a very simple blender hollandaise - more or less this recipe, very easy and yummy:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1615,...

[Pylon]

Nada. I toss mine in a little olive oil before grilling, then add a little salt and grill. If I'm feeling feisty, I'll toss with some sauted ham or prosciutto and sprinkle with parm or asiago and serve. (But cut down on the salt if doing so.)

[vvvindaloo]

I am definitely in the olive oil pre-grilling, sprinkle of salt and lemon after, group. Asparagus has a delicate flavor, and when cooked properly, ought to be the dominant flavor, IMHO.

[jfood]

Doesn;t it depend on the other things on the plate? Jfood uses asparagus as a side for both taste, texture and color so depending on the main partof the entree, this would guide the what to top the apsragus. That beingsaid, jfood loves just a little seasoning for asparagus, a little salt and maybe lemon if the lemon wouldn't fight theother parts of the plate. In Germany during white asparaus season jfodd just ordered a large plate of the yummies and took his knife and fork and enjoyed. One of the most memorable meals in Germany.

[sweetnspicy]

My vote is for a little Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, and shaved parmesan. Simple fast but OH so good!

[Eat_Nopal]

I would say Green or Red Mole... but if Hollandaise is too tough for you.... then maybe Mayo, Olive Oil & Canned Chipotles.... pulverized in a blender.

[ozhead]

One more suggestion, but it requires a bunch of advance planning. In Vienna there is a vinegar distillery, Gegenbauer, that makes vinegar out of all kinds of vegetables -- including asparagus. Their asparagus vinegar, mixed with a bit of melted butter, is great on asparagus. So what you do is, go to the Naschmarkt in Vienna, pick up a bottle of this vinegar, bring it home ... well, you get the picture.

[ozhead]

Three suggestions:

1. When you take the asparagus off the grill, immediately put it into a gallon-size sealable plastic bag into which you have previously put a clove or so of finely minced garlic and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Seal the bag up, shake it gently to coat the asparagus, and put it aside. Serve the asparagus at room temperature.

2. Poach an egg (or two) and put it (or them) on top of the grilled asparagus. When you bring it to the table, puncture the yolk(s) and let it (or them) ooze down on the asparagus. No other sauce required, except maybe some pepper.

3. You say that home-made Hollandaise is too hard, but if you have a blender you're wrong about that. You put 3 egg yolks, 2 TBSP of lemon juice, a little salt and a little red (cayenne) pepper into the blender container. You put a stick of butter (1/2 cup) into a Pyrex measuring cup, and zap it at about half power in the microwave oven until it's melted and bubbling -- or, in the alternative, do this on the stovetop. Then you turn on the blender at low speed, and after a few seconds SLOWLY pour the very hot melted butter through the hole in the top of the blender lid -- taking about 20 - 30 seconds to pour it in. The hot butter cooks the egg yolks, and the blender makes the sauce. It's not quite as dense as Hollandaise made the traditional way, but it's dang close and it's great on asparagus. Or on any other vegetable. Hell, it's great on Cheerios.

[ccbweb]

There you go, number 2. Its a great dish. If you don't feel comfortable poaching, a very lightly fried egg will do the trick too, shave some Parmesan on top and let the yolk be the sauce. A great dish.

[smsliu]

Romescu if you want something with a bigger flavor/kick...

[Richard 16]

I'm with the simple crowd, but a nice combo is a little roasted garlic butter & S&P and top with some toasted slivered almonds.

[Luna Bliss]

What I like to do is mix up a little melted butter with some key lime juice.

[chazzerking]

Salt ,pepper, good olive oil, adn a little grated reggiano. the garlic chips mentioned by macca would be a nice addition as well.I usually spray the asparagus witht he olive oil as they ae cooking. it helps caramelize them a little.

[charliefur]

Curried Mayonnaise ... just mix a little curry to taste into a good jarred mayo.

[Robert Lauriston]

Aioli.

[Emme]

Yup. Garlic and/or tarragon aioli.

[tartiflette]

I don't suppose you'd feel up to the challenge of making a homemade mayonnaise? All you need is a food processor (or a whisk and a strong arm).. it's super-easy!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...

The only thing that's better than plain grilled asparagus hot off the grill is cold grilled asparagus with a thin mayo (the real stuff, not Hellman's).

[valerie]

I agree that you really don't need any sauce if they are grilled, but that being said, this Barefoot Contessa shallot sauce is excellent on asparagus as well as string beans (which the recipe calls for).

I have even made the sauce a day ahead and reheated it in the microwave.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...

[Kagey]

I like to dip in good balsamic vinegar.

[Densible]

Yum-I do a reduced balsamic that I have simmered on the stove until it gets thick and a bit more sweet.
Also enjoy it with thin shards of parm or manchego (sp) cheese. Drizling some balsamic over this would be extra good.

[MeffaBabe]

Why ruin great grilled asparagus with a sauce? The flavor is so delicate to begin with just some grey/pink sea salt and call it a day!- You have to peal the asparagus 1st- hate the stringy stalks when they are not pealed.

[ESNY]

My favorite is no sauce, just shred some parmesan cheese over the grilled asparagus. Maybe squeeze some lemon over it too.

[coney with everything]

Second the parmesan and lemon, and sometimes a few toasted pine nuts. I especially like a raw milk parm that Whole Foods carries.

I also like a drizzle of balsamic instead of lemon, but my hubby doesn't.

[LNG212]

I too like the spritz of lemon juice and toasted pine nuts. I also like to shred some fresh basil with it. Lovely!

[macca]

I would go with simply lemon juice and some S/P. So good. I also like to make "garlic chips": to serve with aspargus ( and broccoli, too). I slice up lots of garlic cloves, and fry til crispy on some OO and S/P.