Asparagus a la Tony

A good trick for asparagus. Grill or roast asparagus then drizzle with a vinaigrette made from extra virgin olive oil (Colavita is a good supermarket brand), fresh lemon zest and juice, black peppter, salt, and a bit of honey. Poach an egg and place on top. Finish with grated hard cheese. I used a pecorino romano here, but asiago, parmigiano, and so forth would work as well.

Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant Sandwich w/Goat Cheese

First of all, I can attest to the wonderful deliciousness of Lori's grilled asparagus. yumyumyum... (can't wait to hang with you guys summer-style on the porch so very soon!!!...)

okay, so for some grilling favorites. i'm not a pro at the grill (not really a pro anywhere, but esp not at the grill) and i admit a bit sheepishly that i like cheesy brats. i know, they're totally grody but i still like them. (i'm from wisconsin, people, give me a break.) however, i have an idea for a sandwich made off the grill. i've only done this in the oven, but i think it would be way better grilled...

stick two red bell pepps on the grill and roast 'em 'til they're all burned on the outside. stick 'em in a plastic ziplock bag and let them sweat a little for about 10 minutes--this will help you get the skins off. peel off the blackened skins, tear open, de-seed, and cut in long strips. also onto the grill, throw eggplant slices drizzled w/olive oil (peeled and sliced about 1/4" thick). you may want to season those a bit--salt, pep, maybe grill seasoning, maybe a little cayenne, paprika... get yourself some good crusty baguette bread, or ciabatta, or your favorite sturdy roll, cut in half, and smear with a generous amount of spreadable goat cheese. when the grilling’s done, stack the bread with the peppers and eggplant and you’ve got yourself a knockout sandwich.

in other grilling news: the other night on emeril’s show, he was doing a grilled soup. well, you know what I mean, grilling the veggies for soup. it looked sooo good. grilled red bells, tomatoes, and red onions, then thown in a pot with water, chix stock, a little apple cider vinegar, a little sugar, some other stuff I can’t remember and then all hand-blended. he added cream and topped with some sort of French bacon. looked like a perfect summer soup. better hurry make it now before it gets all damn hot again.