Grilled white asparagus with millet, fig and maple orange sauce

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A sophisticated way of preparing asparagus: grilled and served with millet 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 fluffy millet. A luscious orange fig and almond butter sauce ties it all together. Perfect as an elegant appetizer or a light main course,

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White asparagus drizzled with a dairyfree and eggfree dill lemon mustard sauce on a green plate.

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 a little earlier. In that first period they are still a bit expensive and are not yet available in the supermarket. From April onwards, asparagus will also be grown in the open field. May is the peak time and in June it already drops off a bit. And in the summer it’s all over again.

How to prepare asparagus?

You can boil, steam and grill asparagus. For this recipe I like to pre-cook them first when 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! They taste best if you also add some lemon juice. Usually you cook them briefly: only about 5 minutes. For this recipe you even shorten that to only 3 minuteds. Then 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.

Grilled white asparagus with roasted millet, almond shavings, figs and orange maple sauce. On a white plate and dark background, landscape orientation.

How do you peel asparagus?

The easiest way to peel asparagus is with a potato peeler. 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 one long, thin peel in one long stroke. Usually just enough to remove the fibrous part. Then turn the asparagus a turn and repeat. Everything that has been peeled well 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.

What is millet?

Millet is a gluten-free seed of a grassy plant (Panicum milaceum). Millet is a pseudocereal that resembles quinoa and amaranth. Its uses are very diverse. You can choose to cook it briefly to keep the balls a little firmer: somewhere between rice and nuts or seeds. And if you cook it longer, you can make it very soft.

How do you prepare millet?

For this recipe, you only need to cook the millet for 5 minutes. Then the little round grainsa 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 season.
Millet – whole grains/balls.
Water – to cook the millet and asparagus.
Fig – dried.
Oranges – juiced.
Almond paste
Maple syrup
Extra virgin olive oil
Almonds – slivered.

FAQ’s

Is millet glutenfree?

Yes! Like all other pseudograins, millet does not contain gluten.

Is millet Medical Medium?

Yes, but it is not a healing food but a filler. It is, next to oats, a favorite filler food.

Is millet paleo?

No, millet is not paleo because a paleo diet avoids all pseudograins that require cooking (chia seeds, for example, are okay).

White asparagus with millet, fig, almonds and an orange maple sauce

ME (Marjolein Eikenboom)

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White asparagus that you cook briefly and then grill briefly. Then you place them on a bed of roasted millet with figs. Slivered almonds and a sauce of almond paste, orange juice and maple syrup complete the dish.

Rate Pin Print

Cook Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 353

Course dinner

Dish appetizer, couscous & rice, side dish

Cuisine Dutch, European

Holiday Easter

Equipment

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 (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 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 handfuls slivered/ shaved almonds

Instructions

Asparagus

Bring a large saucepan with about 2 inches of water to the boil.
Peel the asparagus. Cut off the ends. Place the asparagus in the water. Put the peels and ends on top. Boil for 4 minutes.
Remove the asparagus from the water. Place them on kitchen paper to dry.
Do not throw away the cooking water. You can still make soup from it.

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). Boil gently 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 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.