I love asparagus! I look forward to those little green shoots popping out of the earth every spring and am a frequent visitor to the nearby asparagus farm where I can often be guilty of buying several pounds of the delicious vegetable. I make all kinds of asparagus recipes in the spring, but one of my favorite recipes is asparagus soup.
This is originally my mother’s recipe and it is definitely a keeper! This soup uses a combination of broth and cream so it is lighter than my more typical chowders or cream of soups, but marries the richness of the cream with the intensely asparagus flavored broth. If you like asparagus as much as I do then this is definitely a must make.
Ingredients
- 4 bunches of fresh asparagus
- 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup sliced shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 quarts of chicken stock (or vegetable stock if keeping it vegetarian)
- 3 cups of whole milk
- 2 cups of cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- Rinse your asparagus under cool water and cut just the very ends of the stalks off.
2. Lay the trimmed stalks into a pan or dish and cover with water and let soak for 15 minutes or so. This soaking is important, as it is the only way to remove any sand or dirt that is hiding in the tips. I have skipped this step before only to ruin my entire pot of soup. Do not skip this step! It is amazing how much sand will come out even after rinsing the stalks carefully. If it seems especially sandy dump the water and add more to soak again.
3. Hold each asparagus stalk by the ends and bend it. It will break separating the softer part from the woody bottoms. Put all the woody bottoms in a medium sized pot and fill with with water. Boil the bottoms for about an hour or until they get very soft.
4. Once the woody stems are soft enough to mash. Pour the asparagus broth into a bowl or large measuring cup and strain the bottoms. Let it sit until the cooked asparagus is cool enough to work with. Then squeeze all the remaining wonderful asparagus juice out of those stalks and discard.
5. Slice your green onions and shallots and mince your garlic. Place them in a large soup pot along with your olive oil and saute over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Then pour in your asparagus broth and 3 quarts of chicken stock.
6. Slice your asparagus so it is about 1/2 inch thick. Keeping the tips to the side. Pour all the sliced stems into the soup pot and cook on high for about 10 minutes or until the asparagus starts to soften up.
7. Add the asparagus tips, milk and cream. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for about another 20 minutes. Stir the soup frequently and if it looks like it is going to start to boil turn it down to low or off, you do not want your soup to break. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
This soup is delicious!!!
Love it look forward to seeing many more recipes!!!! Keep them coming
I love asparagus too!! Glad I found this blog…….next recipe please!!!
Can hardly wait to try this recipe. Our entire family loves asparagus season. We find ourselves always grilling it. Looking forward to making this weekend.
This looks amazing! Love the vegetarian option!