Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Lemony Asparagus Soup

Lemony Asparagus Soup

Lately I have been completely seduced with all the spring asparagus. Like strawberries, asparagus are another one of those things that are pretty much year round here in SoCal, but taste better in the spring. I found this soup and immediately added it to the meal plan. It's super healthy and light, but very tasty! It is very easy to make this recipe vegan by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock. I actually would have done that myself, but I already had some open chicken stock. This soup is good hot or cold, but I preferred it hot. I may have used a bit more lemon juice than noted in the recipe below. On Friday nights, I'm not really in a measuring mood. I just want something good and fast and this recipe is both of those things!

Lemony Asparagus Soup
(Adapted from Food & Wine, April 2007)

10 ounces (1 small bunch) asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces with a few 3-inch tips reserved
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
One 1-inch wide strip of lemon zest, plus 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil all of the asparagus until bright green and barely tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water to cool, then drain again. Set most of the tips aside from the rest of the cut up pieces.

Wipe out the saucepan. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the sliced onion to the saucepan and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and lemon zest strip, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus pieces and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the lemon zest strip.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and reheat if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the asparagus tips and grated lemon zest. Serve hot or chilled.

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18 comments:

Erica said...

I def have never had anything like this. I like asparagus but I'm not sure I could do it blended in a soup? Or course...I thought the same thing of butternut squash!

Josh said...

I am so glad you shared this recipe. It looks SO good!

Maria said...

Oops, that was from me, Maria, I am on my hubby's computer:)

Anonymous said...

Keep the asparagus coming. It is great to have so many options!

Diana said...

That sounds so wonderful! I've never had asparagus soup! Odd, since I'm sort of an asparagus nut. Or at least am now that I like it! I need to do something new with asparagus soon.

Alicia Foodycat said...

We're still a month away from asparagus season and I can't wait!

Sharon said...

Simple & delicious...well done! It reminds me of warm, sunny weather :)

Reeni said...

This looks yummy, Esi. And it's such a pretty Spring color.

Unknown said...

now that screams spring!! love it :)

Pearl said...

lemony asparagus soup sounds wonderful and light and great for spring/summer!

Heather said...

mmmm i love asparagus soup. the lemon sounds wonderful. it sorta reminds me of a risotto i make :)

Esi said...

Thank you all so much. For those of you that haven't tried asparagus in soup, I recommend it asap. Especially since this is such an easy recipe. If you follow the amounts shown here, you probably can blend it all in one step rather than in batches.

Hayley said...

Looks beautiful. I love that silky green color. Thanks Esi!

Creative Classroom Core said...

What a beautiful pic! Yum!

vanillasugarblog said...

gorgeous Esi. I just love that color green.
you are so lucky to have all that abundance in SoCal. so so lucky

Marta said...

yummm asparagus soup: perfect for spring!

Kerstin said...

Beautiful - I really enjoy asparagus soup! Looks perfect for spring.

kaythaney said...

I tried this last night as part of Operation cleanout my pantry/fridge/freezer before I move this weekend. It's absolutely delightful, and I'd even dare to say likable by even those non asparagus fans.

Thanks again! Hope to have it up soon on http://talestestkitchen.blogspot.com. Love the site too - though that goes without saying :)