One of spring's great classics is a steaming bowl of asparagus soup. This is the recipe I've followed for many years, in part because it's so simple, in part because I change the recipe, just slightly, to move from an everyday and almost rustic asparagus soup to a richer, smoother, more elegant soup made to impress. This one's a keeper!
TESTIMONIALS
"Seriously yummy!" ~ Amy
"Just made this for my sick boyfriend. He loved it!" ~ Sonia
"I love food-saving recipes, but they are rarely as tasty as this one." ~ Cordel
"... it was delicious!" ~ Stephanie via Facebook
A few years back, a foodie friend and I shared a patio supper with a new acquaintance. The spring night was unseasonably warm and the conversation soon turned familiar.
When the woman boasted about her husband’s kitchen prowess, we asked if he had a specialty. Soup! she answered and we were suitably impressed since some men’s culinary crafts extend no further than the grill.
She elaborated then, with apparently genuine enthusiasm, that the so-called specialty entailed nothing more than opening a can.
Now, please, before making assumptions about food snobs, please know that my sister and I were raised on Campbell’s (tomato and mushroom) and that my pantry always includes several cans of both.
But homemade soup is so easy – and fast and healthful – to make, I wonder, really, why that’s so.
If you’ve not made soup for awhile, start with EVERYDAY-TO-ELEGANT ASPARAGUS SOUP, one version for comfort food on a weeknight, the other to impress friends on the weekend.
Homemade Crème Fraîche
Velvet-textured crème fraîche (pronounced krem-fresh) is easy to make at home! Simply stir two tablespoons of buttermilk into a cup of cream. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 8 – 24 hours or until it thickens. Unlike cream, crème fraîche can be boiled without curdling. If you’re in a rush, pre-heat the chicken broth in the microwave.
Do you have a favorite soup recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook! EVERYDAY-TO-ELEGANT
ASPARAGUS SOUP
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 5 cups
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for Elegant: 3 tablespoons)
- 2 large onions
- 2 ribs celery
- 2-1/2 pounds asparagus
- 5 cups chicken broth or Homemade Chicken Stock
- 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt or buttermilk (Elegant: crème fraîche or cream)
- Balsamic vinegar (don't skip)
Melt butter over medium high in a large pot or Dutch oven. Meanwhile, chop onion and celery, add to butter and sauté until golden, stirring often.
Meanwhile, cut off and discard woody ends from asparagus; cut remaining spears in one-inch lengths. (For Elegant: Cut off top inch or so of each spear. Separately, steam until almost cooked and reserve for garnish.) Add asparagus and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer about 20 minutes or until asparagus is soft.
Remove from heat and purée with an immersion blender or, in batches, in a blender. (For Elegant: Purée, then press through a strainer.) If making ahead of time, stop here and refrigerate or freeze. Before serving, reheat and continue.
Stir in yogurt or buttermilk. (For Elegant: stir in crème fraîche or cream.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with a splash of vinegar. (For Elegant: Top bowls with steamed tips, then a dollop of crème fraîche or a swirl of cream.)
This recipe has been 'Alanna-sized' with reductions in fat and portion size and increases in fiber- and nutrient-rich vegetables. Frugal cooks know that one good way to save money on groceries is to use every last bit of the food we buy, never wasting a thing. For the past few weeks, I've been paying attention to the 'real cost' of vegetables, measuring what's edible, what goes to waste. (Okay, I know that composting would prevent waste entirely. But I'm not there yet and suspect that others aren't either.) Much to my surprise, asparagus are one of the most wasteful vegetables: by snapping off the woody ends, we throw away 40-50% of the spears. This means that if we're paying $2 or $3 or even $4 for a pound of asparagus, our 'real cost' is far higher than apparent. But then I saw a tip about using the woody ends for making asparagus soup. So I saved the ends from three big bunches of asparagus and made soup. Voila! Very little waste! Now I wouldn't serve this to guests, it's 'very rustic' and can be a little bit fibrous, depending on the asparagus. But it is a technique to try, see if it works for you. For a very spare and simple soup, skip the yogurt, crème fraîche or cream entirely. Don't skip the balsamic vinegar, somehow it's the perfect contrast for the earthy asparagus. I'm always disappointed when asparagus soup turns out a pale, drab green versus the bright asparagus green of the quick-cooked spears. To bring back some of the green, drop in a handful of fresh spinach leaves to cook for just a minute or two before puréeing.
More Recipes for Spring Asparagus
Shop Your Pantry First
© Copyright 2011 Kitchen Parade
Page Permalink
|
E-Mail This Recipe Join the Conversation!
To read comments from other readers, please scroll down.To leave your own comment, please scroll down to 'Post a Comment'.
4/20/2007
I saw Barefoot Contessa use asparagus that I would pass by, saying it had more flavour and she peeled the stalk with a peeler.
I make asparagus soup at the end of the season after saving the woody ends from previous asparagus repasts in the freeezer. The ends make a great stock.
I live in North Dakota and a good soup is wonderful when it's cold outside. I love asparagus and look forward to making this soup once my asparagus starts growing next spring. Can I use the woody ends or should I use the tops?
I just signed up to get your recipes emailed to me. I'm looking forward to those messages. Thanks for posting great recipes. Beth
The recipes on Kitchen Parade are ones I cook again and again so I often continue to play with them, adding more fiber, experimenting with whole grain flours, removing fat, switching to new spice profiles, etc. And so when I do, I add the notes so that others may benefit. I hope this helps!
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna