Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews ~ Stephen Mangan
Well as the good and the great have sung...what a difference a day makes! R & R HQ was only on the virtual market for four hours yesterday and we now have two viewings booked for this weekend. Yikes...I'll admit it..it's a little overwhelming and fantastically scary. Both of us thought this weekend would be a 'breather' weekend after the full on situation we have been in for the last few weeks. But no..fate had other plans for us and the reality of the potential possibility of being moved in six weeks, if one of these people want to buy our house, is daunting. No pleasing some people, eh? lol.Having slept on this news I am much more settled but my dreams were a moving disaster loop. *deep breaths* Anyway...
Asparagus...for years I never really saw the fascination with it personally. But as I've never eaten butter, hollandaise sauce or ham my chances to try when out dining had been non-existent. ML loved it back in the day when it wasn't death-food and was eaten with the above accompaniments. I did have an extremely bad offering at a dinner party and I think my lovely host wasn't aware of the woody end and that was the parts I got in my serving of the dish. Then I was talked into trying Isa's brunch asparagus one Sunday...and it wasn't too bad but I still wasn't hooked like ML was. I also made a Fennel & Asparagus Soup which we both enjoyed and I decided to keep trying different ways to eat it. However since ML needed to eat a Salicylate Free diet it felt just plain wrong to bring it into the HQ.
During my ventures back into Donna Klein's A Chinese Vegan Kitchen this week I found myself edgy with need to make an asparagus side dish. And with ML's blessing we picked up some locally grown asparagus and I got cooking. The only changes I made was using slightly less marinate than Klein instructs but that is because I have oil issues...even aromatic sesame oil...it's still oil! lol. And I used a griddle pan to cook mine as you can see by the beautiful scorch marks on my asparagus. The smell as they roasted on the griddle was intoxicating and made my tummy ache. When they were finished cooking and as I set up the plate for testing and for the photographs I couldn't wait to try one...wow!..was the actual word that escaped my lips as I bit into my chosen stalk. It was tender-crisp and therefore perfectly cooked for me. The taste was a savoury addicts nirvana and yes they were a little glossy but I found I really didn't care. I adored this dish and enjoyed it for lunch later in the day. If asparagus is cooked like this...then I am a huge fan. Yum! Great recipe Ms Klein...
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| D.K's Grilled Sesame Asparagus |
Grilled Sesame Asparagus Makes 4 servings..(or 2 Ahem!)
(Recipe from The Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein)
1 1/4 lb med-thick asparagus, tough ends removed
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari (I used Braggs)
1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (I used 3/4 tbsp)
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Prepare a medium charcoal or gas grill. Or preheat a boiler or place a stove top grilling pan with grids over medium heat.
In a shallow container large enough to hold the asparagus in a single layer, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Add the asparagus and turn to thoroughly coat. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature, turning a few times.
Remove the asparagus from the marinade, reserving the marinade. If grilling, arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a vegetable grid. If broiling, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet with sides. Position the charcoal grill rack or oven rack 6-8 inches from the heat source. If using a stove top grill pan, arrange the asparagus in a single layer in the pan; cook in two batches to avoid overcrowding.
Grill or broil asparagus until nicely browned but not charred, turning frequently, 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the reserved marinade. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Klein's Cooking Tip:
To make Roasted Sesame Asparagus, preheat the oven to 425F/220C/GM7. Marinate the asparagus as directed in the recipe. Transfer the asparagus to a baking sheet with sides and place in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the asparagus are browned and tender. turning once or twice. Serve as otherwise directed.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday is great and your weekend filled with laughter...or peace...lol
~Red~
NB: This is not my recipe and therefore I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Donna Klein and hers alone. But I send out thanks for such a great cookbook. ~R~
