This white asparagus soup is made from puréed asparagus and broth, with some cream added. The heads of the asparagus spears are held back until the last minutes of cooking. They add a sense of luxury to the soup, after all, the heads are the best part of the asparagus!
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. chopped onion (1 small)
- 2 T. butter
- 1 1/2 -2 lb. white asparagus, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces, heads reserved
- 6 c. broth, either chicken or vegetable
- 1/2 c. half and half cream
- Salt, to taste
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
- Dry white wine, to taste
- Parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Make sure you peel white asparagus before you chop it into small pieces. Here is a method for prepping white asparagus.
Sauté the onion in the butter until soft in the bottom of a 4 quart saucepan. Add the pieces of asparagus (minus the heads) and steam for 5 minutes. Add the broth and boil gently for about 30 minutes, or until the asparagus is very soft.
Purée the soup in batches in the blender (place a towel over the lid and hold down the lid so the hot soup does not splatter) or with a hand blender and return to pan.
Bring to a simmer and add the reserved asparagus heads. Cook at least 5 minutes, or until they are fork-tender. Turn down the heat and add the cream. Do not boil further.
Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper as needed. You may also want to add a few spoonfuls of white wine, if you think the soup needs acidity. Garnish with parsley.
