Wash and cut off the rough, root ends from the asparagus and place in a medium stockpot or dutch oven.
6 cups vegetable stock
several twigs of fresh thyme
several stems of fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
Add vegetable stock and fresh herbs. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook until asparagus is soft and tender throughout and flavors have combined, about 25 to 30 minutes.
4 new or red potatoes, diced
2 white onions, diced
1 leek, chopped
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Meanwhile, chop and dice vegetables and place in a large stock pot with a little water and olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetable are soft, about 7 to 10 minutes. (If this finishes before the asparagus, remove from heat to prevent burning.)
Once asparagus is done, remove asparagus with a pair of tongs and reserve on a large cutting board.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the vegetable stock into the large stock pot with the vegetables. Stir to combine.
Chop off the top 1-inch (or so) of the asparagus and reserve in a small bowl. Coarsely chop the remaining asparagus stalks and place pieces in the large stock pot with the broth and vegetables.
Cook soup over medium-high heat until flavors have combined, about 5 minutes. Do not over cook or the soup will loose it's bright green color.
If you so desire, immediately pour soup into a separate bowl sitting in an ice bath to quickly reduce the temperature. This preserves the vivid color, but is not necessary.
Using a food processor or blender, purée the soup until all of the vegetables are finely ground and no chunks remain.
⅓ cup heavy cream, or to taste
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Add heavy cream, salt, and pepper to soup. Taste and adjust cream and seasonings as desired.
reserved asparagus tips
Ladle into bowls and garnish with asparagus tips. Serve warm or chilled.
From MakeBetterFood.com. . (makebetterfood.com/recipes/creamy-asparagus-soup/). Adapted from Waters, Alice. Chez Panisse Vegetables. (HarperCollins, 1996.) p. 15.
Wash and cut off the rough, root ends from the asparagus and place in a medium stockpot or dutch oven.
Add vegetable stock and fresh herbs. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook until asparagus is soft and tender throughout and flavors have combined, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop and dice vegetables and place in a large stock pot with a little water and olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetable are soft, about 7 to 10 minutes. (If this finishes before the asparagus, remove from heat to prevent burning.)
Once asparagus is done, remove asparagus with a pair of tongs and reserve on a large cutting board.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the vegetable stock into the large stock pot with the vegetables. Stir to combine.
Chop off the top 1-inch (or so) of the asparagus and reserve in a small bowl. Coarsely chop the remaining asparagus stalks and place pieces in the large stock pot with the broth and vegetables.
Cook soup over medium-high heat until flavors have combined, about 5 minutes. Do not over cook or the soup will loose it's bright green color.
If you so desire, immediately pour soup into a separate bowl sitting in an ice bath to quickly reduce the temperature. This preserves the vivid color, but is not necessary.
Using a food processor or blender, purée the soup until all of the vegetables are finely ground and no chunks remain.
Add heavy cream, salt, and pepper to soup. Taste and adjust cream and seasonings as desired.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with asparagus tips. Serve warm or chilled.