Spores Close To Home

Sunday supper is a ritual in our house and it normally comes after a day of enjoying the outside world. Well last Sunday, just minutes before I dive into my tomato rice and grilled flatiron steak, Prince Charming yells with surprise!
He goes outside and comes back in with the largest morel mushroom I have scene in years. Just outside our back porch is a patch of morels! We were thrilled and had bigs smiles on our faces throughout dinner. Below is a recipe I make every spring. Enjoy!

Grilled Asparagus Caesar 

serves 4 

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

3 anchovies, minced (optional)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 raw egg (or 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard) 

To taste-black pepper, freshly ground

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

To taste-sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Place garlic, lemon juice and anchovies to a wooden salad bowl.

Mash with a fork or flat whisk until it forms a paste.

Add Worcestershire sauce, egg and pepper and mix well.

Drizzle in oil slowly while whisking continuously.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill asparagus and assemble:

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed

2 tablespoons, olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

4 long slices of your favorite bread, rubbed with garlic and olive oil, grilled until golden

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shaved

Heat grill to medium high. Rub asparagus with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Lay asparagus on grill. They will cook fast and depending on the thickness of your asparagus your total grilling time may be 3-7 minutes.

When you have nice grill marks and asparagus still has a bit of snap, remove from grill and cut in half on a diagonal. Cut bread in half on an angle or into croutons and serve asparagus over the bread drizzled with Caesar dressing. Garnish with desired amount of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

* Garnish with pea shoots or other greens.