In Season NW: Grilling Your Greens

Contributor Jim Dixon isn't afraid to challenge conventional wisdom when it comes to cooking (or, really, anything else) and here he sets the record straight about grilling that loveliest of spring greens, asparagus.

Grilled Asparagus

My friends at Viridian Farms had asparagus at the farmers market Saturday, proof that spring really has arrived. My favorite way to eat it is grilled over a hot fire, charred and smoky. Don’t follow the instructions in every single recipe for grilled asparagus that calls for tossing it in olive oil before grilling. The oil just drips onto the coals, flaring and giving the asparagus the nasty flavor of burnt oil

Just snap the ends of the stalks off, put the dry asparagus right on the grill, and watch it closely while turning with tongs. When it’s brown, slightly charred and a bit limp, take it off the heat, then drizzle on the extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle on the flor de sal, and eat with your fingers.