My Husband's Secret to Irresistible Roasted Asparagus Is Sitting In Your Spice Rack
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
My husband and I both love to cook, but we do so quite differently. Though spending more time at home the past year has made me more adventurous in the kitchen, I prefer to have a recipe to at least use as a reference. My husband, however, can go in the kitchen with nary a cook time or ingredient list and come out with something delicious.
His intuitive creativity in the kitchen is inspired by his uncle. My husband basically had an apprenticeship in cooking with him. His uncle was always the one to roast and carve the Thanksgiving turkey, he taught him the art of smoking a Boston butt to perfection, and most importantly, he never once used a written recipe.
His uncle has the natural ability to put a pot of something on the stove, throw several spices in with his eyes closed, and serve the family an incredible dinner. You know how Grandma knows exactly the right "pinch" of this or "dollop" of that to add to her cakes without measuring cups? That's how my husband's uncle operates with any dish.
The only problem with his laissez-faire cooking style is that he can rarely repeat the exact ingredient amounts from some of his most legendary meals. In trying to nail down the je ne sais quoi of his uncle's recipes, my husband now has a signature BBQ rub, a chili "outline," and plenty of tips and tricks up his sleeve. One of those random pearls of wisdom is his secret ingredient to the most flavorful asparagus you've ever had—steak seasoning.
I don't know how his uncle stumbled upon this discovery and probably never will, but my dinners have benefitted from it for years now. We typically use McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning (or the spicy version of it if we want an extra kick!). We think the best results of this pairing happen with oven-roasted or grilled asparagus. I'm not sure what it is about the combo that's so addicting, but I never prepare asparagus without sprinkling a bit of Montreal Steak Seasoning on top.
Simply add the Montreal Steak Seasoning of your choice to plain asparagus or your go-to existing asparagus recipe. Peruse some of our favorite recipes with asparagus here.
