Contributed by Tiffany McGregor
There is something so spring-y about the taste of asparagus! This recipe is so perfect for the temperamental springtime weather because it combines the spring-like taste of asparagus with the warm comfort of hearty soup. It’s easy to make, easy to vegetarianize, and makes good use of veggie pieces that might otherwise go to waste. Being a good steward of resources is always important to me, but it is particularly on my mind during the time of this pandemic. Make this soup and it will feel something like a warm hug until we can give those to one another again. You’ll need: stove top, blender, dish towel, 4 quart heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, sharp knife, cutting board, measuring cups, wooden spoon, measuring spoons, spare bowl. Prep time: 30 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients:
Directions: Chop the asparagus stalks into ½ inch pieces. If the stalks are particularly thick, you may also want to half them lengthwise. Chop the onion and gently sauté in 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat until softened. Add in the asparagus pieces and lightly season with salt and pepper to taste (go light with the salt, especially if you do not have low-sodium stock to use. You can always ADD salt, but you CAN’T take it out). Continue to gently sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add in 5 cups of stock and simmer covered until asparagus is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup cool a bit. If you want to reserve any asparagus pieces for garnish, pull them out and set aside. Transfer enough soup to fill the blender about halfway. Remove the center core of the blender top so that steam will be able to escape before securing the top of the blender. Cover the hole in the top with the dish cloth and blend carefully. Blending hot liquids requires caution and patience; you will need to do this in batches to keep from sending hot soup everywhere! Using the spare bowl to temporarily house blended soup, continue blending in batches until all of the soup can be returned to the pot. Stir in the heavy cream or crème fraiche; if you feel the soup is too thick, then slowly add in stock from the remaining cup until the desired consistency is achieved. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Over gentle heat, bring the soup back to a slight simmer and whisk in the remaining Tablespoon of butter (the colder butter, the better). Serve using any reserved asparagus pieces and lemon juice as garnish. Pro Tip: Crème fraiche is pretty similar to sour cream, but is less tangy and has a little more fat. If you were to substitute sour cream over heavy cream/ crème fraiche, you might go lighter on the lemon juice or skip it completely. (Sour cream was really difficult for me to find during the pandemic, but crème fraiche was something that I could get).
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