Believe it or not, I hated asparagus when I was a kid. Silly me! Now older and wiser, I love the green spears however they are served: steamed, blanched, grilled, or turned into a screamingly-delicious soup.
I planted a crop of asparagus a couple of years ago, and although the plants are growing with gusto now, no harvest can occur until another year has passed (details here). The Spears of Spring for the following soup recipe came from my local farmers' market.
And what a spectacular soup it is, my friends. It comes together easily, too. I simply simmered some asparagus and onion in chicken stock and white wine. Then I pureed the brew with an immersion blender, and thickened it up with a tub of Crème Fraîche. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice, added at the end, made all the flavors sing.
You'll sing, too, once you've tasted this jewel-toned bliss. Here's the step-by-step:
First, take 2 bunches (2 pounds) of perfectly fresh -- and preferably just-picked -- asparagus...
And cut off and reserve some of the green tips for garnish. Or, skip this step, and plan to garnish your soup with croutons or chopped chives.
If you are fussy like me, you'll want to cut off and compost the bottom 1/2-inch of the spears. This is the part that has been submerged in water of dubious quality at the farmers' market or grocery store.
Roughly chop the spears into 1-inch pieces.
Roughly chop a large (1 pound) onion, too.
Then melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a wide soup pot or Dutch oven.
And by the way, this is what my kitchen looks like when I'm photographing recipes for you. For the sake of natural light (a must-have for picture-taking), I have to push my heavy work station beside a window. And since my gas stove is far away from a window, I use a cheap hot plate for cooking.
Oh, the things I do for you.
Add the onions to the pot...
Along with some salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Saute over low heat until the onions are soft but not colored -- about 5 minutes.
Now stir the chopped asparagus into the onions...
Add 4 cups of good chicken stock...
And 1 cup of crisp white wine. I used Sancerre, but Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc should work as well.
Are you still with me? I only ask because I haven't heard a peep from you since we started this recipe. Perhaps you've dashed off to the liquor store for some Sancerre, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.
Good for you.
Now bring the works to a boil, and then lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the ingredients simmer quietly until the asparagus is soft enough to puree easily -- 20-25 minutes.
Then puree the soup. An immersion blender will accomplish the job nicely enough. I bought my purple model from this online source.
To thicken the soup, add 8 ounces of Crème Fraîche, and stir it in with a spoon. Homemade Crème Fraîche is particularly delightful. Here's the easy recipe.
To make the flavors pop, finish the soup by adding the juice from 1/2 a lemon.
Garnish each serving with croutons, chives, or asparagus tips (if you remembered to reserve them). You'll find this spring symphony is delicious at any temperature. I served mine alongside some crusty homemade sourdough bread and multiple goblets of chilled white wine.
Here's the printable:
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:57]
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