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Saturday, June 19, 2021

ChezCindy: Asparagus Soup with Goat Cheese Toasts


The farmers markets are rich with asparagus and I have been fortunate to have gorgeous asparagus included in my CSA produce bag for the last 2 weeks.  Supermarket asparagus is fine.  But fresh local is heaven.  I generally roast or lightly sauté my asparagus with olive oil and a bit of salt.  Simple and delicious.  If you care to venture into the world of soup this is a delightful recipe representing the goodness of springtime vegetables.  The recipe is versatile in that you could replace the asparagus with other vegetables such as squash or broccoli. 

Spring Asparagus Soup
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 
1 cup of Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pound fresh asparagus
3 cups chicken stock, unsalted
3 tablespoons frozen peas
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Working with a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil, swirling to combine.  Add in the chopped onions and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Cook the onions for about 5 minutes until softened, but not adding any color.  Add in the chopped potatoes, stirring to combine, cooking for another 5 minutes until the potatoes begin to soften, stirring occasionally to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  For the asparagus, remove the bottom woody part of the asparagus stems discarding that bit, cutting the remaining stalk into 2-inch pieces.  Add the cut asparagus to the soup pan, stirring to combine.  Add in the chicken stock, bringing to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cover the pan, cooking until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow the soup contents to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.  

Using a blender, add the now slightly cooled soup contents to the blender, pureeing the until smooth.  Add in the frozen peas, continue pureeing until all is combined.  The peas will enhance the green color of the soup.   Taste the soup for seasoning adding in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon as needed.  Add in the fresh lemon juice with one last blend to combine.  Serve the soup hot with a swirl of sour cream and with a slice of toasted bread topped with soften goat cheese.



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