Growing up as a kid in Australia my family always had a grill (or “barbie” as we called it), and we used it often. Cooking on the barbie was a central part of my gastronomical experience in my formative years. Even a two-year jaunt to Malaysia involved regular grilled meals peppered amongst the other more adventurous explorations into that culture’s gastronomy.

Growing up as a kid I also learnt that asparagus was one of the nastiest vegetables on this planet. Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, I realize that I had only ever been exposed to canned asparagus: that pale, mushy, tasteless, almost criminal, incarnation of a vegetable that I did not even understand could be purchased fresh until I was much older.

When I had the opportunity to combine these two elements from my childhood, I approached it with a sense of intrigue and trepidation. I had never had fresh asparagus and had only my horrible experiences of the canned stuff to use as a reference point.

Let me cut to the chase and say that asparagus grilled on the barbie is one of the few foods of the gods. I am not exaggerating folks. If you have not tried it, put down the mouse, step away from the keyboard, and go and try it now.

No, seriously.

Now!

For those needing a little holding of the hands:

Get a bunch of asparagus. Cut off the thick end so that the stalks are fairly even along their lengths (don’t cry for the loss – the base tends to be woody in texture and tastes much the same). Put the trimmed asparagus in a large Ziploc bag and add some canola oil, salt, and pepper. Mush the bag around so that the seasonings spread around (I like to do my own little improvised dance while I am doing this), and then let it sit until you have got the barbie ready. Then place the stalks out on the barbie until they are lightly seared. Pay close attention to the flowery heads as these tend to cook much quicker than the rest of the asparagus. Take them off and served immediately as is. Enjoy.

If you ever want to win me over, I highly recommend giving me grilled asparagus. I will be putty in your hands!