Scorched Asparagus Spears

Woohoo! British asparagus season is here! Starting officially on 23rd April and continuing only until 21st June.

I get ridiculously excited by the appearance of it each year. With the remarkable spring sunshine we've been having this year it's easy to cook it in our preferred method, cooked asparagus on the grill or barbecue.

Augmented with our Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar we think it's a fabulous feast.

There are many great recipes that use asparagus, such as our Pici Asparagus with Balsamic for example.

If you can get hold of your butcher's best middle or streaky bacon to serve bacon wrapped asparagus that too is delicious. However, none are as simple as this one, our Scorched Asparagus Spears.

Using the very best of our ingredients to dress the asparagus can produce a quick starter or a light lunch in literally minutes. This recipe serves 2 to 3 people.

Ingredients

• A generous bushel of British asparagus spears (12 to 15 spears)
• 50ml Villa Montalbano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5ml of 25 Year Old Tagliavini Aceto Balsamico di Modena Extra Vecchio
• Salt

Preparation

Wash the asparagus spears thoroughly and then trim the root ends by about an inch to remove just the stringy section. A good tip to know where to cut or break the speak is to hold the root end between thumb and forefinger in one hand and the centre of the spear in the other. Bend the shaft until it snaps. Consume the top section and use the remainder for soup later.

To cook, simply place on a hot BBQ and turn as the spears scortch. Do not be tempted to overcook as they dry out, this process should only take about a minute or two maximum. Cooking can also be achieved in a very hot frying pan or carefully watched under a hot grill.

Once cooked lay on the serving plate and dress with a little 25 Year Old Tagliavini Aceto Balsamico di Modena Extra Vecchio, then generously with Villa Montalbano Extra Virgin Olive Oil before finally cracking salt over the dish to taste.

The asparagus can be served on its own for starter or with parma ham and salad to make a light lunch.