Grilled white asparagus with millet, fig, almonds and an orange maple sauce
A sophisticated way of preparing asparagus: grilled and served with millet, roasted and then cooked in orange juice. Seamlessly blending earthy flavors with a touch of sweetness. The tender white asparagus, delicately charred to bring out its natural nutty notes, pair beautifully with the fluffy millet. An orange fig and almond butter sauce ties it all together. Perfect as an elegant appetizer or a light main course.
When are white asparagus in season?
In the Netherlands we can buy our first asparagus from the end of February. These are often grown behind glass. This used to be only mid-March, but that now seems to be getting a little bit earlier every year. In that first period they are still quite expensive and they are not available in the supermarket yet. From April, asparagus will also be grown in what we call ‘the full ground’, meaning in the open field. May is the peak time and in June it already drops off a bit. And in summer it’s all over again and I start longing for the next asparagus season.
How to prepare asparagus?
You can boil, steam and grill asparagus. For this recipe I like to pre-cook them first before I grill them. You cook them in a large pot with water. You also add the peels and the cut off ends to that water. Usually you cook them briefly: only about 5 minutes. For this recipe you even shorten that to only 3 minutes. Immediately remove the asparagus from the water and let them dry. Then you can grill them briefly: as soon as you see a line they are ready.
How do you peel asparagus?
The easiest way to peel asparagus is with a potato peeler. Usually the thickness of a peeler is just enough to remove the fibrous part.
- First make sure there is no more sand in the heads. You can carefully rinse them under the tap.
- Lay the asparagus flat on your workbench. Hold just below the head. Do not press too hard, otherwise the asparagus will break.
- Then peel from your hand to the bottom. This way you get a long, thin peel in one stroke.
- Then turn the asparagus and repeat. And again, usually six or seven turns.
- Everything that has been peeled, is now a bit lighter and moist. It shines a bit. You can easily spot any bits of peel that you may have missed and give them another stroke.
- Then cut off the ends. Because you peeled them it’s easy to see what to cut.
What is millet?
Millet is a glutenfree seed of a grassy plant (Panicum milaceum). It looks a bit like couscous: its light yellow and round. But is not made of dough and is actually not even a ‘real’ grain. Millet is a pseudograin that resembles quinoa and amaranth. It’s use is very versatile. You can choose to cook it briefly to keep the millet firm: somewhere between rice and nuts or seeds. And if you cook it longer, you can make it very soft, like porridge. It has a soft and slightly nutty taste.
How do you prepare millet?
For this recipe, you roast the millet first. Then you only need to cook the millet for five minutes. Then the little round grains will remain nice and firm. Millet absorbs a lot of water when cooking. Twice its own volume. It’s easy to measure that with an American standard cup. Half a cup per person with one cup of water. Or about 90 grams to 240 milliliter.
Ingredients
- Asparagus – White, fresh in the season (April to June).
- Millet – Whole grains. I roast them first for a nutty taste. Then I cook them in orange juice.
- Fig – Dried.
- Oranges – Freshly juiced.
- Almond paste
- Maple syrup
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Almonds – Slivered.
FAQ’s
Yes! Like all other pseudograins, millet does not contain gluten.
Yes, but it is not a healing food but a filler. It is, next to oats, a favorite filler food.
No, millet is a pseudograin.
Grilled white asparagus with millet, fig, almonds and an orange maple sauce
This recipe may contain
affiliate linksEquipment
- 1 small cooking pot for the millet
- 1 large cooking pot for the asparagus
- grill pan for the asparagus
- ceramic non-stick pan for the millet and the almonds
- bowl + small whisk
- knife
- paper towel
Ingredients
- 12 asparagus (white) (400 grams)
- ½ cup millet (100 grams)
- 2 oranges for 1/2 cup juice (120 ml)
- ½ cup water (120 ml)
- 1 dried fig
- 3 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 handfuls slivered/ shaved almonds
Instructions
Asparagus
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Preferably you can cook the asparagus laying down. Then you need a out 2 inches of water.
- Peel the asparagus. Cut off the ends. Place the asparagus in the water. Put the peels and ends on top. Boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the asparagus from the water. Place them on kitchen paper to dry.
- Do not throw away the cooking water. You can make soup from it. Keep it in the fridge.
Millet
- Roast the millet in the frying pan. On high heat, about 4 minutes.
- Squeeze the oranges until you have ½ cup. Keep 2 tablespoons of the juice aside in a small bowl.
- Place the millet in the saucepan. Add the orange juice and the water (1 cup in total. Met it simmer softly for 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the stem and the bottom of the fig and cut into very small pieces.
- Remove the lid from the pan. The millet is still a little moist, it will absorb some more moisture. Stir in the pieces of fig.
Asparagus
- Heat up the grill pan. Brush the asparagus lightly with oil. Grill the asparagus for about 2 minutes (half a minute on each side). If necessary, use a pan lid to press them down for nice stripes
Dressing and topping
- Roast the almonds in the pan in which you also roasted the millet.
- Mix the almond paste with the maple syrup and the two reserved tablespoons of orange juice.
- Place a bed of millet with fig on the plates. Place the asparagus on top. Spoon the dressing over it and sprinkle the almonds over it.
Did you make this recipe or do you have any questions? Just leave a comment.