Neil Perry's barbecued asparagus with spiced eggplant salad
Nothing says spring like fantastic local asparagus and this dish just seems the perfect heralding of the coming warmer months.
Ingredients
2 bunches asparagus
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 lemon, juiced
freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE EGGPLANT SALAD
2 eggplants, skinned and diced into ½ cm pieces
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 fresh jalapeño chilli, crushed to a paste
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
handful flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, juiced
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the barbecue to hot.
Break the tough ends off the asparagus. Mix the asparagus, a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt in a bowl. Place asparagus on grill bars. Turn it from time to time to ensure a nice crust forms, and it gets some good grill marks all over. Cook for about 4 minutes.
Transfer asparagus to a plate, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, pour over lemon juice and give a good grind of fresh pepper.
Steam eggplant in a steamer for 10 minutes, until soft and tender. Place in a bowl, add all the other salad ingredients, and mix.
Spoon the salad in the middle of 4 large plates, then place the asparagus spears across in 4 equal portions. Serve with delicious, crusty bread.
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Neil Perry is a restaurateur, chef and former Good Weekend columnist.From our partners
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Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/recipes/neil-perrys-barbecued-asparagus-with-spiced-eggplant-salad-20180911-h158lh.html