Trader Joe's is a consistent source of good inexpensive asparagus. Usually I steam it, and it's very hit-and-miss if it turns out stringy. I usually chalk this up to the asparagus itself.
This time, I was grilling steak anyway, while steaming the asparagus. But I rescued a few pieces to test on the grill pan, as one must tread lightly in this household when one messes with a staple.
A quick brush of olive oil, sprinkles of the ubiquitous salt and pepper, and toss on the grill (that sounds a lot hipper than "stick them in the pan").
Turns out, the steamed asparagus was stringy and a little tough. But the grilled asparagus -- crisp, bright green, and savory enough not to need any dressing or dip. A clear winner!
Seems my steaming technique is the culprit for the stringy aspect of the asparagus. Obviously, I'm over-steaming it, but one of the big advantages of grilling is that you can see how it's doing as it's going along. Your nose contributes to the monitoring too: I pulled the asparagus off the moment I started to smell burning, which added a nice flavor to it.
Bonus: grilled vegetables don't smoke and splatter the way meat does. I never had any use for a range hood before attempting indoor grilling, but now I'm anxious for one. But even without one, the grill pan is worth having just for grilled vegetables, with asparagus top of the list.
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