Recipe: Cream of Asparagus Soup

asparagus

The start of spring doesn’t have to mean the end of soup season. With warmer temperatures come fresh asparagus, peas and artichokes—the farmer’s market in spring is a soup-lover’s paradise. So, don’t put away that warmer yet!

Personally, I’m a pretty huge fan of cream asparagus soup. Here’s a recipe that is simple to prepare (which means it’s open to improvisation/additions) and delicious. (If you’re looking for a more exotic take on asparagus soup, this well-reviewed recipe from Food52 is definitely worth a try.)

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds green asparagus (or, if you can find it, white asparagus)
  • 1 cup green onions (or shallots), chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top. (Save for garnish.)
  2. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.
  3. Cook green onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. While soup simmers, cook remaining asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
  5. Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (see cautionary note below). Transfer to a bowl, and return to pan. Stir in cream, then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and stir in remaining tablespoon butter.
  6. Add lemon juice and garnish with asparagus tips.

Optional “varsity team” augmentation: During step four, as an alternative to boiling, fry up a few strips of bacon, set aside, then saute the asparagus tips in the bacon fat. Use bacon as a final garnish with tips.

*Be very, very careful when blending hot liquids! Use much less liquid per blend. If you have a Vitamix, start at your lowest setting. Vent the lid so that steam can escape, covering the opening with a kitchen towel.

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About Jeb Foster

With a passion for content, Jeb is Tundra’s email guru and works to deliver a perfect mixture of content and deals in our emails to keep even the finickiest subscriber overwhelmed with email happiness. When he’s not at Tundra, he likes to spend his time playing air guitar and remembering the good old days of snail mail.

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