CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Hello!

Lately I’ve been sharing with you recipes from a Birthday Dinner Party I hosted recently.  Today I have a tutorial for the Creamy Asparagus Soup I served that night.  

I call it “Creamy” Asparagus Soup as opposed to “Creamed” Asparagus Soup because this soup recipe is mostly fresh asparagus that tastes very “Creamy” but actually contains very little cream.  This way you get all the great nutrition of the asparagus, minus the less healthful addition of a lot of cream.

Asparagus is actually one of the few vegetables that comes from a perennial plant, meaning it grows year round.  The asparagus plant also has up to a 10 year lifespan;  however, I think of asparagus as a spring vegetable. While asparagus can be harvested starting in late February all the way through June, it is at its prime in the month of April. Thus, I decided to prepare this Creamy Asparagus Soup for my April Dinner Party.

My girlfriend Cindy, whose birthday we were celebrating, is very health conscious, so I am extra diligent about cooking healthy food when she comes to dinner.  I know that asparagus is low in calories and high in dietary fiber and is also rich in calcium, magnesium, and vitamins B, C, E & K.  So, what better way to kick off a spring dinner than with this delicious soup.

Here is how I prepare it:

Start with 2 pounds of fresh, cleaned asparagus.

Remove the woody bottoms from the stems and discard them.  This usually means cutting off the lower couple of inches from each stem.  Some folks simply bend the lower stem and pop them off, but I think you may lose too much of the tender part doing it in this fashion.  If my asparagus are particularly woody at the base, I will use a potato peeler to remove the thicker skin from the lower stalks too.

Next, cut the stalks into about 2 inch sections.  Set aside and reserve a few asparagus tips (one for each bowl being served) to use as garnish later.

Finely dice 1 medium size onion.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large stock pot.  Add the diced onion and saute until tender and translucent.

Next, toss in the asparagus.

Sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt.

Prepare 4 cups of chicken bouillon by adding 4 heaping tablespoons of chicken flavored “Better Than Bouillon” to 4 cups of hot water and stir until the paste is dissolved.  You could use prepared chicken broth for this recipe, but I am a big fan of how the use of Better Than Bouillon really adds another flavor dimension to this soup.

Pour the prepared bouillon over the asparagus in the stock pot.

Toss in 2 sprigs of fresh thyme.  Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes until the asparagus are very tender.  The cooking time will be dictated by the thickness of the asparagus spears.

Remove the stalks of fresh thyme from the soup.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is very smooth.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, you may also puree it in batches in a blender.

Now pour in 1/2 cup of heavy cream……

and stir to combine.  At this point you may wish to add more salt and pepper to taste.

Just prior to serving, place the reserved asparagus tips in a small, microwave-proof bowl and cover them with water.  Top with plastic wrap and microwave for a couple of minutes until just tender.  Then, drain the hot water from the asparagus tips.

Transfer the hot soup into a serving bowl, garnish with an asparagus tip and serve with a nice crusty bread on the side.

My friend Brenda is a magnificent bread baker and contributed this beautiful loaf of delicious whole grain bread to our birthday bash.  It was a perfect accompaniment to the Creamy Asparagus Soup.

ENJOY!

PS – Stay tuned and in my next post I’ll be sharing my recipe for “Phyllo Wrapped Wild Salmon with Spinach”.

PSS – The inspiration for this soup recipe came from a website I enjoy called Simply Recipes.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

This delicious soup is low in calories, high in dietary fiber and is also rich in vitamins. It is perfect for a Spring dinner party.

Author: Celia Becker

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 Pounds Fresh Asparagus
• 1 Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Chicken Flavored Better Than Bouillon
• 4 Cups Hot Water
• 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• ½ Cup Heavy Cream

Instructions

1. Wash the asparagus and cut off the woody ends.
2. Cut the asparagus spears into 2 inch lengths.
3. Reserve 6 to 8 asparagus tips for garnish.
4. Melt butter in a large stock pot.
5. Add diced onions and cook until tender and translucent.
6. Add the asparagus to the pot.
7. Combine the Better Than Bouillon paste with 4 cups of hot water and stir until the paste is dissolved.
8. Add the prepared bouillon to the stock pot.
9. Sprinkle in salt and pepper.
10. Add sprigs of fresh thyme.
11. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes or until the asparagus is very tender.
12. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your asparagus spears.
13. Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup.
14. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth.
15. Add more salt and pepper if necessary to taste.
16. Just before serving, add reserved asparagus tips to a small bowl and cover with water.
17. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave the tips for about 2 minutes until just tender.
18. Drain the liquid and use the tips to garnish each bowl of soup.
19. Serve hot.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from a recipe first published on the website Simply Recipes.

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