Grilled asparagus with romesco and aged gouda
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 2
Charred asparagus meets smoky romesco in this spring-ready barbecue dish. Toasted almonds, sweet peppers and grilled lemon give the sauce depth, while aged gouda adds a rich, savoury finish. Serve as a starter or as part of a barbecue spread.
Ingredients
For the romesco sauce
- 100g/3½oz whole almonds
- 1 whole garlic bulb, top removed
- 1 large red pepper
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- pinch sea salt
For the asparagus
To serve
Method
To make the romesco, heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Toast the almonds for 3–4 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
Prepare your barbecue: allow the flames to die down until the coals are just glowing. Alternatively, preheat a grill to medium/high.
Wrap the garlic bulb in kitchen foil. Place the garlic, red pepper, tomatoes, chilli and lemon (cut-side down) on the grill. Cook gently, turning occasionally, until softened and lightly charred on all sides. Remove and leave to cool slightly, leaving the charred skins on.
Unwrap the garlic from the foil and squeeze the roasted garlic from the bulb into a bowl and set aside.
Crush the toasted almonds in a pestle and mortar to a coarse powder. Add the chopped vegetables and garlic and pound to form a rough paste. Alternatively, pulse a couple times in a food processor. This does not need to be smooth, a rough texture is what you are looking for.
Stir in the smoked paprika, sherry vinegar and squeeze in the juice and jammy pulp of the grilled lemon. Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and season with salt to taste. The sauce should be thick but spoonable.
To make the asparagus, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Grill for 1–2 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly charred but still with bite.
Spoon the romesco onto a serving platter and arrange the asparagus on top. Scatter over the lemon zest, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and finish with the grated cheese.
