After buying a large bundle of Costco asparagus, I wondered how I was going to use up the extra. While we enjoy asparagus roasted as a side dish, I didn't want to serve it daily for a week. So after using it twice in a week, I decided I would turn the remainder into soup.
Frozen peas give this soup a subtle sweetness and a boost of green. Using up the thin spears which are not as tender for roasting as the thicker ones is also fine in this soup. For spears 1/2 of thinner, there is no need to peel them. But if you have thick spears, do use a vegetable peeler to take off the skin of the lower portion of the spears.
Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, stem ends trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small leeks, white and light green parts only,
halved lengthwise and sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cut tips off asparagus spears and chop stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add asparagus tips only and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add remaining butter and asparagus, leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to empty pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
Add broth to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and Parmesan. Puree soup in blender in two batches and return to pot. Stir in the optional cream if using, lemon juice, and asparagus tips, and warm until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
After serving a bowl for lunch, I then froze the remainder of the soup and thawed it some weeks later. It was equally delicious. This recipe was originally from Cook's Illustrated and may be slightly modified as I now make it without following the written recipe and have noted it here from memory.
Frozen peas give this soup a subtle sweetness and a boost of green. Using up the thin spears which are not as tender for roasting as the thicker ones is also fine in this soup. For spears 1/2 of thinner, there is no need to peel them. But if you have thick spears, do use a vegetable peeler to take off the skin of the lower portion of the spears.
Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, stem ends trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small leeks, white and light green parts only,
halved lengthwise and sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cut tips off asparagus spears and chop stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add asparagus tips only and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add remaining butter and asparagus, leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to empty pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
Add broth to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and Parmesan. Puree soup in blender in two batches and return to pot. Stir in the optional cream if using, lemon juice, and asparagus tips, and warm until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
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