Four of us pile into our white toyota rental car, dew still on the handles, and cautiously wind our way from our villa outside of Montisi for the twenty-ish minute drive to Montalcino. Today is market day and we are eager for the sights and smells that this beautiful hilltop town has to offer. Market day means vendors not just of food, but of anything one could possibly want to run a household. Clothing, paper products, cleaning materials, the formaggio cart, the pork macelleria, and of course, the farmers with their plump and vibrant produce.
The asparagus, of course call to me; as does the fennel. I patiently wait my turn, then ask for “gli asparagi; piccolo E grosso anche un finocchio bello, per favore!” (my Italian isn’t perfect here friends). With my bunches of both skinny and fat asparagus, plus my fennel and a slew of other goodies in tow, I cheerfully slither away from the pack of people waiting to get their veg and meetup with the others.
For this dish, you will want a bunch each of the fat (grosso) and skinny (piccolo) asparagus, as well as a fat bulb of fennel and a hot grill. Other delights to add include some halved green olives of choice, a handful of torn fresh mint, as well as some citrus juice and zest, I used mandarin because I had it, but lemon or any other would be just as delicious. Additionally, you’ll want to drizzle some peppery extra virgin olive oil and crunchy flaky sea salt, like maldon, over the top.
Make your grill fire or set your gas grill to high heat.
Cut the tough, woody stems off the bottom of your asparagus. This is usually about the bottom inch or so, but you can test it by gently bending near the bottom half and letting the stem break naturally.
Peel the bottom third of your grosso asparagus. No need to peel the piccolo.
Coat them all generously with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
Lay them out (perpendicular to the grill grates) in an even layer on the hot grill (that has first been cleaned and oiled) and just leave them alone. Be sure to keep the grosso and piccolo separated as they will cook at different times.
Once you notice the bottom begin to blacken (at least a couple of minutes depending on your grill’s heat), give the grosso a little nudge to get the other side on the heat, but remove the piccolo; they only need one side of char, otherwise they’ll overcook. Set them aside on their serving platter or a sheet pan.
Note: If you don’t have a grill handy, you can apply the same technique to a cast iron skillet or whatever pan you have. Just be sure that you don’t crowd them and that each one is in contact with the bottom of your pan.
In the meantime (or ahead of time and store in a fridge covered with a damp towel), shave on the a mandolin, or slice as thinly as possible with a sharp knife, your washed fennel bulb. You want half moon shapes from the fennel, so first cut in half from stem to root, then across.
When you’re ready to serve, toss the fennel in a bowl with your sliced olives, torn fresh mint, the zest of a mandarin or lemon and the juice of half, plus some extra virgin olive oil, and a few sprinkles of salt. Taste it and make sure you like it.
Plate your asparagus on a platter and top with the shaved fennel salad.
And that’s it! A beautiful taste of Spring and refreshing accompaniment to any party table.
CinCin!
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