Asparagus Soup

Lemon, Mushrooms, Mint, Chimichurri, Salsa Vede, Grilled Onions- they all compliment Asparagus. Consider cooked mushrooms as a topper to your asparagus soup!

Roasted Asparagus Soup    6 SERVINGS 

My dad grew asparagus. It grew off the back step out the back door, and as a child, it was a wonder. My friend Emily taught me a long time ago how to roast asparagus, and I have been making it this way ever since. Asparagus is full of antioxidants, which help in DNA synthesis and repair. In this soup, I love to angle-cut asparagus and place it on the soup with a little swirl of minty cream, and whoa…  a yummy meal in a bowl. 

Minty cream

½  cream
1 tablespoon chopped mint
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Soup

3 bunches of asparagus, tough ends snapped 3 small  leeks, white part only, chopped
1  Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped½, ½ cup light white wine
6 cups stock - veggie or chicken

 Garnish with lemon and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut off the asparagus tips and put the stalks and tips on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the asparagus with two tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with one teaspoon of salt. Toss evenly to coat. Baking time will vary depending on the size of the asparagus. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Remove the asparagus tips from the baking sheet and reserve for garnishing the soup.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in an 8-quart pot over medium heat: leeks, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 4 minutes, then add the potato and a generous pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, allowing the potatoes to soften and the onion to turn golden. Add the garlic, pour 1/2 cup of wine, and deglaze the pot. Allow the wine to cook off until there is little liquid. Separate out about one bunch of the asparagus and cut into small pieces. I like to cut on the diagonal. These will garnish the top of the soup. Add the broth and the remaining 2 bunches of asparagus and boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for3-5 minutes.

Puree the soup batches in a blender or food processor. A blender will make it smoother. If the soup is too thick, add more broth, ½ cups at a time. Return the soup to the pot and gently reheat. Taste: you may want to add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon, a swirl of the minty cream, black pepper and of course  the pieces of asparagus!