Our asparagus patch is going great guns. So much so that a soup is in order. Felicity Cloake's recipe intensifies the asparagus flavour by using a broth made from the woody ends and trimmings of the spears instead of the more usual chicken broth while safeguarding that potency by adding just a smattering of cream and flour. An even more of a jolt of taste and colour is provided by including green onions. The result is Spring in a bowl.
Ingredients
makes 2 ample or 4 smaller servings
Rinse the spears.
Wash, trim, and chop the green onions.
Snap off the woody bits and chop them coarsely. Slice the tips off and cut the tender stalks into chunks.
Put the woody ends/trimmings along with 1 litre of water in a pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve. Discard the ends/trimmings.
Simmer the tips with water to cover for about 3 minutes. Reserve.
Melt the butter and soften the green onions for a minute or two. Stir in the flour.
Add slowly the asparagus water while stirring. Toss in the chunked, tender stalks and cook for 8 minutes. Puree with a stick mixer or blender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add cream and garnish.
C'est parfait! Silky but with enough body so that the incomparable flavour which makes asparagus so delectable baths your tastebuds long enough for you to realise that life is good. And that tending a potager is worth the effort.
Some dark rye topped with thinly sliced ham and hard-boiled eggs would work a treat with this soup.
À la prochaine!
 |
| Garnished with asparagus tips and crumbled bleu d'Auvergne |
Ingredients
makes 2 ample or 4 smaller servings
- Asparagus, green, 500g
- Butter, 50g
- Spring onions/scallions, 6
- Flour, white, 1 T
- Cream, 2 T
- Asparagus tips and bleu cheese for garnishing
Rinse the spears.
Wash, trim, and chop the green onions.
 |
| Onions were planted thickly last autumn so as to allow thinning and harvesting of the young'uns |
Snap off the woody bits and chop them coarsely. Slice the tips off and cut the tender stalks into chunks.
Put the woody ends/trimmings along with 1 litre of water in a pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve. Discard the ends/trimmings.
Simmer the tips with water to cover for about 3 minutes. Reserve.
Melt the butter and soften the green onions for a minute or two. Stir in the flour.
Add slowly the asparagus water while stirring. Toss in the chunked, tender stalks and cook for 8 minutes. Puree with a stick mixer or blender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add cream and garnish.
C'est parfait! Silky but with enough body so that the incomparable flavour which makes asparagus so delectable baths your tastebuds long enough for you to realise that life is good. And that tending a potager is worth the effort.
Some dark rye topped with thinly sliced ham and hard-boiled eggs would work a treat with this soup.
À la prochaine!
