Grilled asparagus sandwich with fromage blanc and lemony olive-mint vinaigrette

Asparagus season is in full force. For me, partaking in the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture's (CUESA) asparagus festival at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (FPFM) kicked off my yearly quest to consume as much of this tasty herbaceous perennial as possible during its relatively short season. I volunteer in the kitchen at the FPFM every weekend, helping guest chefs shop, prep and cook, doing an awe-inspiring number of dishes, cleaning and prepping food for our monthly festivals and CUESA events.

For the asparagus festival CUESA’s Market Chef, Sarah, tasked me with breaking down, prepping and grilling a cool fifty pounds of asparagus to be used in delicious sandwiches with a lemony olive-mint vinaigrette and Cowgirl Creamery fromage blanc on Acme Bread Company green onion slab. The sandwiches were unbelievably good. We tossed the grilled asparagus with the vinaigrette and arranged the tender spears, still steaming a heavenly aroma, on the ciabatta-like bread spread with creamy and mild fromage blanc. A quick trip to the grill crisped the outside of the bread and melded the flavors. 

We sold about six hundred sandwiches in two hours (we ask for a small donation to cover our costs, not to make money). While things got a little hectic – I mean, I was pulling sandwiches hot off the grill with my bare hands – we satisfied hundreds of people with attractive, tasty sandwiches. And the not-so-pretty crusts and rejects? That’s what we called breakfast (and lunch)!

 Grilled Asparagus Sandwich with Fromage Blanc and Lemony Olive-Mint Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 slab ciabatta-like bread (ideally Acme’s Green Onion Slab)

1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off

½ - 2/3 cup fromage blanc

Extra virgin olive oil

Lemony Olive-Mint Vinaigrette, as needed (recipe follows)

 

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Toss asparagus with a bit of olive oil and grill, turning occasionally, until tender and starting to char in spots.
3. Meanwhile, slice bread lengthwise (holding knife parallel to counter so you end up with a top half and bottom half).
4. Brush with olive oil and grill bread, cut side down, until warm and grill marks start to form.
5. Remove bread and asparagus from grill.
6. Toss asparagus with a hearty amount of Lemony Olive-Mint Vinaigrette.
7. Spread both cut sides of bread with fromage blanc and pile on the asparagus.
8. Replace top piece of bread and carefully transfer to grill (two sets of tongs works well) on indirect heat for a couple minutes. You’re just trying to meld the flavors and warm the cheese, so don’t worry about flipping the sandwich. That probably wouldn’t work out so well.
9. Transfer sandwich to cutting board and slice into desired number of sandwiches.

Lemony Olive-Mint Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Zest and juice of one lemon (Meyer lemon is great here)

¼ cup chopped green olives (like Picholine)

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

¾ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

½ -2/3 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Whisk in olive oil until mixture is of desired thickness. 
3. Taste, and add salt if necessary.

Comments

[Richard Rocca]

So my wife and I followed your lead and made this dish on Sunday. It was as we suspected, delicious! Thanks for sharing. Richard of www.naturalpath.com

[Stacy Donahue]

Beautiful pics. It's great having a chef in the family.