Grilled asparagus and lemon rice

Grilled asparagus and lemon rice

Grilled asparagus served on top of creamy lemon rice makes a lovely late-spring supper or side dish to go with chicken or salmon. Recipe from Your Daily Veg: Modern, Fuss-free Vegetarian Food by Joe Woodhouse (Kyle Books  £22).

Grilled asparagus and lemon rice

Looking for more asparagus recipes? Try our filling asparagus, ham hock and potato salad.

  • Serves icon Serves 4 as a side
  • Time icon Hands-on time 30 min

Grilled asparagus served on top of creamy lemon rice makes a lovely late-spring supper or side dish to go with chicken or salmon. Recipe from Your Daily Veg: Modern, Fuss-free Vegetarian Food by Joe Woodhouse (Kyle Books  £22).

Looking for more asparagus recipes? Try our filling asparagus, ham hock and potato salad.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
333kcals
Fat
14.9g (6.3g saturated)
Protein
16.5g
Carbohydrates
30.3g (6g sugars)
Fibre
6.1g
Salt
0.4g

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil (such as groundnut or sunflower)
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick, finely chopped
  • 1 leek, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 500g asparagus, woody ends snapped off
  • 250g cooked shortgrain brown rice (125g dry weight – see Know-how)
  • Grated zest and juice 1 lemon
  • 100g hard sheep’s cheese, such as pecorino, or vegetarian alternative, grated (optional)

You’ll also need

  • Ridged griddle pan
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Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan large enough to fit everything over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and leek with a good pinch of salt. Gently cook for 12 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, toss the asparagus in the remaining tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat and grill for about 5 minutes, turning once, until tender. Pull off a spear when you think they’re approaching being done, then slice off a section and eat it. If they need longer, return the spear to the pan and try again in a minute or so. Remove from the heat and slice each spear into roughly four or five sections.
  3. Add the rice to the onion pan along with 100ml water to help everything get moving. Stir well but gently to reheat the rice but avoid breaking the grains. Add the asparagus and the lemon juice along with a few good grinds of pepper. Stir to combine.
  4. When the rice is piping hot, spoon onto plates or put the pan on the table for people to help themselves. Add the lemon zest and, if using, cheese to finish.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
333kcals
Fat
14.9g (6.3g saturated)
Protein
16.5g
Carbohydrates
30.3g (6g sugars)
Fibre
6.1g
Salt
0.4g

delicious. tips

  1. This recipe works great with leftover rice (or see Know How for how to cook the rice from scratch).

  2. To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a large pinch of salt and 125g brown rice, then simmer for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Drain off the excess water, then spread out on a plate to cool quickly. Chill until needed.

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Recipe By:

Joe Woodhouse

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