Charred Asparagus with Lemon-Almond Rubble
Asparagus over the fire, dressed with a coarse almond-garlic mix you mixed at home.
- calories
- 210
- weight
- 1.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 140
- protein
- 7 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 22 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Asparagus | 2 bunches | woody ends snapped off at home |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds | 1/2 cup | raw or roasted, chopped coarse before the trip |
| Garlic | 1 clove | minced at home, or 1/2 tsp granulated |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | 1 tbsp for the spears, 1 tbsp for the almonds |
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp | bottled travels fine |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- At home, chop the almonds coarse and shake them in a jar with the garlic, lemon juice, 1 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper. It keeps a few days in the cooler.
- In camp, toss the spears with the other tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt.
- Lay them across a grill grate over coals, or seal them in a foil packet and set it at the fire's edge. Turn once.
- Ten to fifteen minutes. They should bend without snapping and show some char. Thin spears go faster.
- Spoon the almond mix over the hot spears and eat right off the foil.
This one stays a fresh-vegetable recipe, which means a cooler and a first or second night out. Asparagus is mostly water and it wilts fast, so there is no dehydrating around the problem without losing the point of it.
The work moves home. Chopping almonds and mincing garlic in camp is a knife-and-board job nobody wants at dusk, so the topping gets made in a jar days ahead. Oil and lemon hold it together and the salt keeps the garlic honest. Coarse is right here — you want gravel on the spears, not paste, and a food processor is not coming along anyway. Foil makes the packet the only dish.
Packing
Almond mix in a small screw-top jar. Asparagus wrapped in a damp towel in the cooler, standing up if there is room. Bring one sheet of heavy foil per bunch.
Variations
- No fire: the same spears crisp up in a dry pot over a canister stove, lid on, shaken every minute.
- Swap the almonds for sunflower seeds if someone in camp is nut-free.
- The almond mix also works on potatoes or anything else coming off the coals.
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-roasted-asparagus-with-lemon-almond-pesto