Cream of Asparagus Soup
Since I bought my house in 2009, every year at the end of April and through May I get very excited. You see, the wonderful woman that I bought my house from was a wonderful gardener and had a green thumb with her flowers – both things that I struggle with (Rich is a half-way-decent-ish gardener and I am working on the flower thing). Because of Marie’s skills (she was 89 and still living well and happily on her own – may be all be so lucky) I end up with quite a few bunches of asparagus, during the season we get at least a dozen pieces every day
We eat most of our asparagus fresh (& warm from the sun) right after picking it. We love it grilled as well.
This week I was craving some soup – so whipped up this Cream of Asparagus Soup. Putting some toasted garlic bread with fresh butter & parmesan on the side, we had a fresh, light, healthy, filling, quick, tasty dinner.
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Just because its spring doesn’t mean that you need to give up ‘soup days’ – just come up with different ways to enjoy it.
SO – How do you enjoy your spring/summer soups!?
Cream of Asparagus Soup
[adapted from Simple Bites]
- 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup cleaned and chopped leeks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 pounds trimmed green asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- dash nutmeg
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, to taste
- fresh Parmesan, for serving (if desired)
Melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When melted, add the leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute.
Stir in the flour, mixing well with the butter, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the white wine. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits. Cook for 1 minute. Add 3 cups of broth, whisking to eliminate any lumps. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium-heat. Add the asparagus pieces and the bay leaf. Reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.
Discard the bay leaf. Add the mixture to a food processor (or use that great immersion blender), working in batches if needed, and purée until soup is very smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup of broth, if needed. Pour the soup back into the pot over low heat. Stir in the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice. Heat the soup for 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste, and add extra liquid until preferred consistency is reached. If desired, grate a bit of fresh Parmesan on top.
I also want to try this raw asparagus salad from Geny Foodie later this season too!