- 320 g asparagus woody ends [snapped] trimmed and chopped into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 shallots chopped (or an onion will work)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 425 ml vegetable stock [nearly two cups] [I use a carton of chicken stock.]
- 2 tbsp. chives chopped [to top off soup]
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream (optional) [I never use.]
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- (See below. I also use a parboiled potato)
Instructions
- Gently fry the shallots, garlic and asparagus until softened.
- Pour in the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. (I simmer much longer.)
- Add the cream and season.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve topped with chopped chives.
Notes
- Try to use a stick blender to blend this soup. You could use a jug blender, but wait until it was completely cooled before blending, as the jug could explode when hot liquid is placed in the blender. Try to do it in batches in the blender.
- Creamy soups don’t have to be high in fat. While you could add double cream to this soup, I have added a little bit of potato to thicken it and make it creamy. It doesn’t add much flavor either, which is great, so the flavor of the asparagus shines through. [I par boil one large potato. Place in soup kettle and mash it.]
- The asparagus really is the star of the show here, so you don’t want to over power it with too many other flavors. However, we add a generous amount of spinach because it makes it a super green color. Fresh herbs are a must in a homemade soup too and we went with chives, as they add a nice onion-y flavor. [I’ve never made it with spinach.]
- [I always double this recipe.]
- Anything in brackets was added by me.
SOURCE: Asparagus Soup – Hungry Healthy Happy
February 2021.