In my kitchen, asparagus fall under seasonal, finger food, which means I lightly roast them and eat straight up, maybe with some beef tenderloin since I discovered this incredible recipe. Fresh and shaved in a salad is another fantastic way to eat it, something I learned from one of Alice Waters books. But the key word is seasonal. And it means I can eat the whole stalk, there’s no bending to see where it breaks and discarding most of it.
We, of the southern hemisphere, are currently living a lovely autumn, full of colorful ochre leaves and humidity.
Would you trust a fall asparagus? Mmmm, yeah, me neither. They are grown in the middle part of this country, incidentally, the province where I was born, Córdoba, but even though I was glad to see fresh ones, the flavor is there but it’s just not the same. Like with year-round strawberries, which have too much white and too much tang.
These asparagus weren’t fit for a raw shaved salad, and only half was good to eat.
With that said, this is a pretty good soup, even without of season vegetables.
With that said, this is a pretty good soup, even without of season vegetables.
We’re making asparagus soup as today’s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group.
Though, I have to agree with Susan, too laborious for the results. Because the asparagus are peeled, then the peels and discarded hard parts are put in a cheesecloth and a sort of asparagus broth is made while blanching them. They are first put in ice water not to lose color, which in my case didn’t quite work as the final soup was a bit anemic looking, and then they are cooked with the usual suspects, onion, leek, garlic, shallot and the broth until all is very soft, especially the leek.
The last stop is the blender, and then it’s served with a dollop of cream, creme fraiche, sinking roasted asparagus tips like I did, or whatever you want and feel goes with it.
The bonus is that it can be served either hot or at room temperature. And the extra bonus is that if this was good with average, out of season asparagus, it must be very good with very good ones.
Take a look at what the other Doristas made with this recipe here.
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| Peels and discarded parts of the asparagus |
Today’s 5 related links worth looking at:
Salmon, Asparagus and Poached egg Bruschetta from Eileen Cuisine
Crispy Baked Asparagus Fries from Closet Cooking
Spring Rhubarb Yogurt Soup from Outside Oslo
No cream creamy Tomato Soup from Noshing with the Nolands
Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto from Hip Foodie Mom
No cream creamy Tomato Soup from Noshing with the Nolands
Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto from Hip Foodie Mom
Lizzie @ Strayed from the Table says
May 30, 2013 at 22:37mmm asparagus soup, looks so beautiful and the flavour must be so fresh. I can't wait to grow my own, but I heard it takes two years before you can start picking your first crop.
Patty Price says
May 28, 2013 at 22:26I don't think asparagus soup has ever looked so good ….
mividaenundulce says
May 28, 2013 at 02:17Soup comes perfect during this season, yes, autumn is here, and this is just perfect for a hot soup, specially if it's a cream.
Ok, maybe it's not the perfect time for asparagus, but eating roasted or in soup is better than in a salad.
acookingmizer says
May 27, 2013 at 18:56but what better to do with aspargus thats out of season but to make soup?? 🙂 you did great! and mine didnt look too fantastic either so dont worry! 🙂
dulceshome.com says
May 27, 2013 at 15:56I'm with you – great asparagus deserves something better than soup – my go to is grilled. But any way is fine with me. Soup is a pretty good alternative when that's not the case. I think mine turned out more green because I skipped the step of pre-cooking the "good" part of the asparagus. Served mine with corn muffins – turned out to be a pretty tasty meal.
As always, your photos are gorgeous!
Cocoa and Lavender says
May 27, 2013 at 15:21That does sounds bit laborious! Paula, check out my mother's asparagus soup in her cookbook – much simpler and it works well for out of season spears! No peeling necessary! 🙂 Oh, and I am glad someone asked about those beautiful crackers… They look perfect to go with soups! ~ David
Mary Hirsch says
May 26, 2013 at 21:02You even peeled your out-of-season/winter asparagus?You are a marvel, Paula. Although I don't think your asparagus looks all that bad. Here we go again. As we head into the fresh fruits and vegetables season you are enjoying a lovely autumn/fall. Again, those of you who are living on the other side of the equator are good sports. Hopefully when I get my List of What We Haven't Cooked Yet completed, we can come up with a switcheroo and pick a FFWD recipe that favors the Doristas in the Southern Hemisphere. Then those of us up north can scramble to find fresh ingredients. Turn about is fair play. Really, your soup looks pretty and tasty. I also noticed the Sailor's Crackers. They look perfect with your soup.
Mardi Michels says
May 26, 2013 at 14:37Your pictures in this post are so gorgeous Paula! I didn't do all the difficult bits in this soup and it turned out just as well 🙂
laurasmess.me says
May 26, 2013 at 03:11This looks delicious Paula, even though it sounds like it was laborious to make!! I get frustrated when a particular recipe calls for out-of-season vegetables. Frozen and imported produce just isn't the same! Great job with the food prep though. You've made the soup look beautiful x
Laura Dembowski says
May 26, 2013 at 02:43I'm loving soup lately and the asparagus is perfect here right now. I can't wait to make this Paula!
yummychunklet says
May 25, 2013 at 23:54Your soup does look delicious, and I love the bright color as well!
Betsy says
May 25, 2013 at 23:48I wish I'd thought to save some tips to garnish the soup. I do have to admit that I didn't have the patience to peel all those spears so I ended up skipping that step. I thought this soup was a good one, just the right texture. Sometimes I think Dorie's soups are way too think. Sorry you had to eat this one out of season, Paula.
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
May 25, 2013 at 22:38Fall asparagus or not, that soup looks so delicious! Asparagus is at it's peak here, I can't wait to try this!
Nana says
May 25, 2013 at 16:48Beautiful presentation as usual. This is definitely a recipe that I will do again, we all loved it. Have
a happy weekend.