Monday, April 14, 2014

Rosie Makes Spring Asparagus Soup.

 
The Hawthornes are having asparagus soup today.

Asparagus Soup
1 pound asparagus
2 leeks, rinsed and sliced
1 TB oil
1 TB unsalted butter
1 heaping TB flour
2 cups chicken consommé
1 small potato, diced
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup tiny-diced carrots
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper,  to taste
 sprinkling of cayenne pepper
a few sprigs of fresh thyme

Snap asparagus and chop spears, reserving tips.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
and drop in tips.
Cook one minute,
then drain and immediately plunge into ice water.
Set aside.

Heat oil and butter over medium high heat.
Add in sliced leeks and chopped asparagus spears.
Cook about two minutes.

Add in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Add in 2 cups chicken consommé, stirring to thicken.
Add in diced potato and bare-simmer until potato is tender -
12 - 15 minutes.

Immersion blend to whatever degree of purée you desire.

Add in 1/3 cup skim milk, carrots, and peas.
Heat through.

Ladle into bowls and top with asparagus tips,
cayenne pepper, and thyme leaves.



 I love asparagus season.
Mine are just starting to come up
and they're plentiful in the grocery stores now.
Look for tight, compact heads.
You don't want them spindly and opening up.

Grabbing each end of the asparagus, snap it.
Don't worry.
The asparagus knows where to snap.

Rinse and slice two leeks.
Chop the asparagus into small pieces ...
...  reserving the tips.

Bring salted water to a boil 
and drop in the tips.
Cook one minute and then ...
...  drain and immediately plunge the tips
into ice water to set the color and stop the cooking.
Set aside.

Heat one tablespoon each oil and  unsalted butter.
When butter is bubbly,
add in asparagus spears and leeks.
Cook, stirring, over medium high heat for two minutes.


Add in 1 heaping tablespoon of flour
and cook, stirring, for one minute,
to get the raw taste out of the flour.

Add in two cups of chicken consommé.
I just made that consommé the other day.
Look how nice and gelled it is.


I decided to add in a small, diced potato.
Cook at a bare simmer for about 15 minutes,
until potato is tender.

Immersion blend.

Wait!
I have peas and carrots in the fridge.

Add in 1/3 cup skim milk.
Heat through.
Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls
and add a few asparagus tips,
some cayenne pepper,
and a few leaves of thyme.





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