BBQ Asparagus With Walnut Rosemary Crumble

This BBQ asparagus salad makes an impressive entertaining salad that will astound your guests, the walnut rosemary is deliciously moreish and versatile.

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This Char-grilled Asparagus Salad is brought together beautifully by the crunch and aroma of the walnut rosemary crumble that truly compliments the creaminess of the goats cheese and woody smoky asparagus in this salad.

This salad was created for my beautiful Neice's 21st Birthday and was gone in a flash!

The walnut rosemary crumb is so versatile you can add it to other salads to liven them up such a simple green salad, kale salad, tomato salad or a coleslaw. Try it stirred through some pasta, a basic risotto or even green beans for some added crunch.

Or blitz it slightly and use it as a stuffing for a pork belly or lamb roast. Mix some blitzed walnut rosemary crumble add it to some butter then lift the skin of a whole chicken and spread it under the skin for a dreamy roast chicken dinner.

More on ash goats cheese

Fresh goats cheese (chèvre in French) is one of the oldest know dairy products to be made. It is  made  by allowing goat’s milk to curdle naturally, then draining and pressing the curds. 

Ash is used for both aesthetic reasons but also to preserve the cheese. The ash used is a finely powdered, food-grade component and not the ash from your barbecue.

You can easily substitute with either plain goats cheese or Persian feta as the are both wonderfully creamy, at a pinch you can use plain feta that has been crumbled.  This salad would also work well with any blue cheese.

HOW TO MAKE THIS SALAD

STEP 1 - Prepare the asparagus

1. The best way to test how much you should cut from your asparagus is to hold the asparagus about halfway down the spear and bend the stalk until it snaps.
2. Then use it as a guide to cut the rest of your asparagus stalks by lining them up together and cutting off with a sharp chef’s knife (I like to keep the ends to use in a stock).
3. Oil and season your asparagus you will need approximately 1 tablespoon of oil for each small bunch of asparagus. Do this in a square or rectangular pan so that you can easily transfer onto your barbecue. 

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STEP 2 - BBQ / GRILL the asparagus

1. Heat your BBQ or grill pan on high this will ensure that you get a nice char on the outside.
2.  Place your asparagus perpendicular to the grate so that they don’t fall through and make sure that the thickest part of the asparagus is placed towards the hottest part of the grill. 
3. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes, turning regularly until it is charred and cooked through. 
4. For tender, crisp asparagus, BBQ for 3 to 5 minutes. For a more tender asparagus, grill for 10 minutes. Keep in mind that the thicker your spear the longer they will take to cook. Make sure that you turn them often so that they brown on all sides. 
5. Remove from the BBQ when done and allow to cool slightly then cut your asparagus into 3cm (1 inch) batons..

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STEP 3 - make the walnut rosemary crumble

1. Place a medium sized heavy based pan on your stove on medium-high heat.
2. Add the chopped walnuts to your hot frypan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently fry until golden brown.
3. Then add the chopped rosemary, toss until fragrant.
4. Transfer to a cold plate and allow to cool.

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STEP 4 - ASSEMBLE YOUR BBQ ASPARAGUS SALAD

1. Wash your salad remove any damaged or wilted leaves and either pat dry with a clean towel or spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water.
   Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. In a glass jar add all the ingredients for the dressing and shake until emulsified.
3. Add asparagus, half the walnut mixture and half the goats cheese to your mixing bowl, season.
4. Pour over the dressing then toss gently until well coated with the vinaigrette. Taste your salad and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
5. Arrange the salad in a large serving bowl, crumble the rest of the goats cheese on top of the salad and sprinkle the remaining walnut, rosemary crumble on top to garnish, serve immediately.

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Serving suggestions

An impressive dinner party salad deserves an impressive main to partner with, try it with:

• Roast porchetta
• Whole baked salmon
• Lobster thermidor
• Lamb roast
• Herb stuffed chicken
• For an easy dinner party main try it with a barbecued pork loin

Hungry for more asparagus salad recipes?

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