Grilled Green & White Asparagus With Idiazábal Smoked Cheese

From Basque by José Pizarro

From Basque, Spanish Recipes From San Sebastián & Beyond by José Pizarro. Photography by Laura Edwards. Illustrations by Jenny Bowers. Published by Hardie Grant. ©2016. Published with permission.

• Servings: 4.

From José Pizarro, author of Basque --

"We’re so lucky in Britain with the amazing array of produce that we can find on our doorsteps – British asparagus is one of my favorites and the season never comes soon enough for me. I always feel inspired when I first see asparagus on the shelves, but nothing frustrates me more than to see asparagus on the menu or on the shelves in winter. It doesn’t make sense! I love to combine the best British produce with classic Spanish ingredients, and this cheese from the Basque Country complements the asparagus perfectly."

Ingredients

• 12 white asparagus
• 12 green asparagus
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 100 g (3½ oz) Idiazábal smoked cheese, sliced
• extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Blanch the white asparagus in a pan of boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes, then drain. Put both the white and green asparagus in a large dish with the oil and mix together well.
2. Heat a chargrill pan over a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium, place half of the asparagus on the pan and grill them for a couple of minutes, then turn over.
3. When the asparagus are ready, keep ithem in a warm place and cook the rest.
4. Divide the asparagus among four warmed plates and add the cheese, drizzling over some more olive oil and seasoning with sea salt and fresh black pepper.

From The City Cook -- Here in the U.S. white asparagus is not always as easy to find as it is in the U.K. and Europe.  But don't let that stop you from making this recipe with only green asparagus.  Also, while many of us love the pencil-thin stalks of some asparagus, this recipe is a time to look for stalks that are thicker.

Idiazabal is a sheep's milk cheese, often smoked but not always.  It is easy to find in better cheese departments and cheese shops.  In NYC you can find it at Zabar's and Murray's.  But if you can't find it, substitute another Spanish sheep's milk cheese like a young manchego that is still tender enough that it can be sliced.