What a feast we enjoyed tonight! For the second time this season, I fired up our faithful Aussie Walkabout grill and got straight down to the business of cooking out. First up: Balsamic asparagus!
We visited our friends at Great Country Farms as part of their Member Open House event yesterday, and as we’re wont to do, we came home with a few edibles. Relevant to today’s meal is the hearty helping of asparagus we brought back, but we also hand-picked a bag of fresh spinach that I’ll be circling around with in the coming days (and, to be honest, I’ll likely freeze some too – we now have more than even Popeye could eat!).
Anyway, asparagus is so great this time of year, so fresh, such a reminder that spring is indeed here even if we’re still wearing hoodies and flannel shirts. So tonight, I cut off the ends of each asparagus stalk, then placed them atop a sheet of aluminum foil. I drizzled a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top, then added a dusting of chipotle powder and dried basil. Next, I added some fresh dill and thyme straight from our backyard herb garden, then wrapped the asparagus up tightly in foil and placed it on the grill to cook for about 20 minutes, turning it over every little while (about every 5 minutes, though I wouldn’t swear to that).
Next it was time to heat up the onion rings, which was an easy feat – from freezer to oven to serving dish! These, too, took about 20 minutes, which made cooking times easy.
Finally, I pulled out a package of Tofurky jumbo veggie dogs, which LeeLee and I have been eyeing in the grocery store for quite some time. How have I never cooked with these particular dogs before? It’s a mystery. But tonight we were ready to put them through their paces atop the grill, so with about 10 minutes left in the cooking time I arranged them across the grate and rotated them every couple of minutes, until the sides were a little brown (or black) and sometimes bubbly. Just the way a good veggie dog should be, if you ask me!
We had a package of buns in the freezer, so I heated two up atop the grill to both defrost them and toast them in short order. Next, it was time to pull the meal together!
The asparagus and onion rings were pretty self-explanatory, but the veggie dogs required a little finesse work. As per usual, we topped our dogs with ketchup, mustard, and diced onions, and then added a little extra kick – some kalechi (a kale-based kimchi) from our friends over at No. 1 Sons! Imagine sauerkraut with a higher volume level and you’ve got the hang of kalechi. We could both eat it by the truckload! (In fact, LeeLee piled his plate high with kalechi as another side item, as opposed to just a topping. What can I say? We love it.)
The veggie dogs were fantastic – a great mouthfeel, wonderfully meaty taste, and they held up on the grill perfectly. And the asparagus, too, was a hit – we both loved the blend of balsamic tang with fresh herbs! And who doesn’t love a good onion ring from time to time?
What’s more, we’ve got three veggie dogs left over for lunches this week. I’d offer to split them with LeeLee, but I know I’m going to lose out. They’re his absolute favorite – for breakfast or lunch – and how can I deprive him of that? I’ll muddle through somehow.
:)