Roasted/grilled Asparagus with Zhoug
When asparagus is in season, I usually eat it at least two or three times a week—I’m that excited to finally be done with root vegetables and other wintery things. I like to keep things simple with asparagus, since its flavor when simply grilled or roasted it pretty hard to beat. Zhoug, which is a spicy herb sauce that originated in Yemen, adds a little gentle heat and green, herby flavors that compliment the green, herby flavor of the asparagus. This recipe is a go-to for me; it takes just a couple of minutes, especially if you already have zhoug hanging out in your fridge or freezer (see the note below). You’ll want the fattest asparagus spears you can find for this recipe, but if you only have thin spears, just cut the cooking time down a couple of minutes. It goes fast—roasting vegetables directly on the floor of your oven means they brown quickly, so keep an eye on them.
Makes 2-4 servings
1 pound asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
8 Serrano chilies
1 cup parsley leaves and tender stems
1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
6 garlic cloves
1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup canola oil
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Snap the ends off the asparagus spears and discard them, placing the spears on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle the asparagus with the olive oil, and shake the pan so the spears roll around and are completely coated in oil. Season them with a little kosher salt, then place the pan of asparagus on the floor of the oven (yes! for real!). Check the asparagus after five minutes; you want it browned in some spots but not limp. Thin asparagus will cook faster than thick, so adjust your cooking time accordingly if needed. Using tongs, turn the asparagus over, then return the pan to the oven for 3-5 more minutes, until the asparagus are barely browned on the other side. Remove the asparagus from the oven.
To grill the asparagus, heat your grill for direct-heat cooking on high. Prep the asparagus as directed above, then place directly on the grill grates. Place the cover on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how fat the asparagus spears are. Open the grill, and turn the asparagus; you can just nudge them with tongs so they roll over to the other side. Close the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the asparagus are barely browned on the other side. Remove the asparagus from the grill.
While the asparagus is cooking, combine the chilies, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, cardamom, coriander, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse into a thick paste. Add the oil, pulse once or twice and then transfer the zhoug to a bowl. Drizzle a little zhoug (I like about 1/4 cup but you do you) over the asparagus and serve.