Grilled Asparagus with Miso and Olives | Ottolenghi

There are certain ingredients which play a large role in my pantry, especially to flavor the everyday food. You open my fridge, invariably you’ll find these flavor bombs. These are the items that never leave: miso paste, olives and Parmesan cheese, and for good reasons. A teaspoon of this and a dash of that, you’ll have a tasty meal at hand. Here, the asparagus is doused in a salty, nutty and umami-rich olive, pine nut and miso dressing. Other than asparagus, the same sauce can go with almost any vegetables, like cauliflower, green beans, carrots or squash.

On the other hand, it’s a very strong and effective salty flavor, you don’t want to overdo it. I would rather make a batch of the miso and olive sauce and save some for later. Start by adding the olives, pine nuts and some oil to a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often until the pine nuts have turned golden brown. Then carefully whisk in the miso, lemon juice and olive brine. It’s as simple as that.

For the asparagus, roasting or grilling at high temperature always make the veggie pop. Now, asparagus is at the peak of the season and plentiful, I want to eat asparagus as often as I can. I’ll never get tired of it, especially when I infuse a different personality by varying the topping. Here are a few of my favorites:

Asparagus “Pasta” with Garlicky Breadcrumbs

Cacio e Pepe Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus with Creamy Arbol Chili

Print Recipe

Grilled Asparagus with Miso and Olives

By Yotam Ottolenghi – Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 1 tablespoon plus ⅓ cup olive oil
• Fine sea salt
• ⅓ cup pitted green olives (preferably Castelvetrano) plus 1 tablespoon brine, olives crushed with the palm of your hand then finely chopped
• 1½ tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon dill (optional), finely chopped

Instructions

1

Heat a grill pan over high heat. (Roasting at 425°F also works.)

2

SEASON THE ASPARAGUS with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Grill in two batches for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until tender and charred. Transfer to a serving plate once cooked.

3

ADD THE OLIVES, PINE NUTS and the remaining ⅓ cup oil to a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 7 minutes, until the pine nuts have turned golden brown. Carefully whisk in the miso, lemon juice and olive brine.

4

POUR THE OLIVES PINE NUTS SAUCE over the asparagus and sprinkle the dill on top, if using.

Notes

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025150-grilled-asparagus-with-miso-and-olives