Grilled Asparagus With Sweet And Spicy Dip Recipes

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST GRILLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to medium heat, about 350° to 400°F, and brush the grill grates clean.
• Remove the woody ends of the asparagus by snapping the ends off. Bend each stalk gently about 2/3 of the way down the stalk until it naturally breaks where the woody part begins. If desired, use a knife to trim the ends of the stalks to tidy up the cuts. Discard the ends.
• Place the asparagus spears in a shallow bowl or on a platter or baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss the spears with your hands to coat. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss again.
• Place the asparagus across the grill grates perpendicular to the bars. Grill with the lid closed for 6 to 10 minutes or until the spears are tender and crisp. Use tongs to roll the spears for even grill marks.
• Transfer to a platter and if desired, drizzle with more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES WITH AVOCADO-YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• For the dip: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Trim the top third off the garlic head to expose the cloves. Drizzle with canola oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap in foil and roast until the bulbs are soft and light golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• Preheat a grill to medium high.
• Brush the avocado, jalapeno and scallions lightly with canola oil and place on the grill (the avocado should be flesh-side down). Grill the scallions until charred, 1 to 2 minutes; the avocado until grill-marked and slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes; and the jalapeno until charred on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes. Allow all three to cool slightly.
• Scoop the avocado flesh into a food processor. Roughly chop the scallions and transfer to the food processor. Halve the jalapeno, scoop out the seeds, and roughly chop. Add half of the jalapeno to the food processor along with 4 cloves of roasted garlic. Add the lime juice, honey, paprika, coriander, cumin, yogurt, cilantro and a pinch of salt. Process until completely smooth. Season with salt to taste. Transfer the dip to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the vegetables: Turn all burners on your grill to medium-high.
• Spread asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, and radishes on one baking sheet. Spread the squash, zucchini and eggplant and red onion on a second baking sheet. Drizzle both with oil, season with salt and toss to coat. Place a grill basket on half of the grill and add the vegetables from the first baking sheet. Cook until charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side for the tomatoes and asparagus (don't let the tomatoes burst), 4 to 5 minutes per side for the peppers and radishes. On the other side of the grill, place the vegetables from the second baking sheet (squash, zucchini, eggplant and red onion). Cook until charred and softened, 2 to 3 minutes per side, plus an extra minute or two per side for the onion.
• Lightly brush the pita on both sides with canola oil, and sprinkle with za'atar. Grill the pita until charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Cool slightly before cutting into 6 wedges each.
• Arrange the grilled vegetables and pita on a serving platter. Serve with the avocado-yogurt dip garnished with cilantro.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH SWEET AND SPICY DIP

Steps:

• Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix chili sauce and preserves; set aside.
• Place asparagus in grill basket (grill "wok"). Brush asparagus with oil; sprinkle with garlic-pepper blend.
• Place grill basket on grill over high heat. Cover grill; cook 5 to 8 minutes, turning once with tongs, until tender and slightly charred.
• Serve asparagus with dip.

GRILLED SOY-SESAME ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat grill for high heat.
• In a bowl, mix sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar. Place asparagus in the bowl, and toss to coat.
• Lightly oil a fine-mesh grill grate. Place asparagus on grate, and cook 8 minutes, until tender but firm. Garnish with sesame seeds to serve.

SWEET-AND-SPICY GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH BURRATA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Put raisins or apricots in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, honey, fish sauce or colatura (if using), red-pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil, then let simmer until the mixture reduces slightly, about 3 minutes. Immediately pour over the raisins and let cool. Taste and stir in a little more honey if the sauce is too harsh. (Sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
• Prepare the vegetables: Oil the grill grate and light the grill. Have a serving platter at the ready.
• Grill the peppers, zucchini, eggplant and corn directly on the grate, in batches if necessary, and turning them as needed. Move them around the grate so they cook evenly. Cook until they are lightly charred, watching them carefully, 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the vegetable.
• To grill the mushrooms and asparagus, place them in a grilling basket if you have one, or put directly on the grill. (Arrange the asparagus perpendicular to the grates so they don't fall through.) Grill, turning as needed, until charred all over, 6 to 10 minutes. Grill the cherry tomatoes, using the vine as a handle if possible, for 1 to 2 minutes, until they start to burst and char slightly. Transfer all the vegetables as they cook directly to the serving platter.
• Add the cheese to the platter next to the vegetables. Immediately drizzle everything with some of the sauce, stirring it up to get the raisins, and with olive oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pepper and scatter the herbs generously on top. Serve the extra sauce and the bread alongside for making crostini with some of the vegetables and more of the tangy sauce.

SPICY ASPARAGUS SPEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter. Stir in the onion powder, seasoned salt, Cajun seasoning and red pepper flakes. Add asparagus spears, stir gently to coat. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

GLAZED HOT-AND-SWEET GRILLED RIBS

Steps:

• Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut ribs into serving-sized sections. Arrange ribs in layers in ungreased 12x8-inch (2-quart) microwave-safe dish. Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Microwave on High for 15 minutes or until ribs are no longer pink, rearranging and turning ribs once during cooking.
• Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until jelly is melted. Remove from heat.
• When grill is heated, remove ribs from microwave; immediately place on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 6 to 8 inches from medium coals. Cover grill; cook 10 to 20 minutes or until ribs are browned, turning frequently and brushing with glaze during last 10 minutes of cooking time.
• Bring any remaining glaze to a boil. Serve glaze with ribs.

BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS BUNDLES WITH SPICY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Separate asparagus into bundles of 3 stalks each. Carefully wrap a piece of bacon around each bundle, starting about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the tip; secure with a toothpick. Transfer bundles to a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Roast, flipping halfway through, until asparagus begin to wilt and bacon is brown, 20 to 22 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; season with pepper. Sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.
• Transfer bundles to a platter; remove toothpicks. Serve with dipping sauce.