PUREE OF ASPARAGUS - FROM SPLENDID SOUPS

PUREE OF ASPARAGUS - FROM SPLENDID SOUPS image

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

4 quarts water
2 pounds asparagus
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium-size onions, finely chopped
1 medium size waxy potato, peeled and sliced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1bunch of parsley, 12 stems, tied with string
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Steps:

Boil water in a 6 quart pot. Cut off and discard 2 inches of the asparagus base. Cut off the tips and reserve. Chop stalks into 1-inch segments and reserve. When the water comes to a boil, put the asparagus tips in a strainer and submerge them for 2 to 3 minutes (tender but not mushy). Take them out - don't throw out the water - and rinse them under cold water. Put the stalks in the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes to eliminate bitterness. Rinse stalks under cold water - pour out the water. Heat butter in 4 quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and potato and stir every 2 minutes for about 10 minutes, until onions turn translucent (not brown) and potatoes soften slightly. Add the broth, the cut-up asparagus stalks, and the parsley. Simmer for 15 minutes until the asparagus and potatoes are thoroughly softeneed. Puree the soup in a food processor. Strain it thru a medium mesh strainer. Heat the soup, add the heavy cream, and season with salt and pepper. Either add tips to soup or heat them and arrange on top of soup (on a thin slice of buttered toast).