Best Three Little Asparagus Soups For Spring Recipes

CREAMY GINGER-ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and ginger and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add potato and 4 cups water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until potatoes are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add asparagus and continue to simmer until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Reserve one cup liquid from pot and transfer the rest of the mixture to a blender; let cool slightly.
• Add cilantro and spinach to blender and purée until smooth, adding reserved broth as needed for desired consistency. Return soup to pot and stir in remaining 1/4 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or chilled, with a drizzle of oil, more pepper, and lemon wedges on the side.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP IN MINI TEACUPS

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove and throw away the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the spinach to the soup and let wilt for about 1 minute. In batches, pour the soup into a blender and blend on high until smooth. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender and puree in the pot.) Stir well before transferring to 12 small teacups and serve hot.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks and shallot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and 3 cups broth; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until asparagus is very tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
• Working in batches (don't fill it more than halfway), purée asparagus in a blender until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes a batch, thinning with more broth if necessary. Transfer to cleaned pan, and heat until steaming. Whisk crème fraîche with a little water until it has the consistency of heavy cream. Spoon some on top of each serving, swirling with a toothpick, if desired.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Saute 1 chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme in 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 pounds asparagus (trimmed and chopped), 1 1/2 cups each water and chicken broth and a big pinch of salt. Simmer until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Working in batches, puree in a blender. Return to the pot, whisk in 1/2 cup crème fraiche and warm through (do not boil). Season with salt and pepper. Top with more creme fraiche and chopped chives.

THREE LITTLE ASPARAGUS SOUPS FOR SPRING

Steps:

• Peel 4 asparagus stalks and slice the remainder crosswise into 1-inch pieces. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the sliced asparagus and 2 of the peeled stalks. Saute 5 minutes or until soft.
• Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and add half-and-half. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the 2 stalks. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the soup through a coarse sieve set over a large bowl, pressing the asparagus through with the back of a large spoon. Scrape the pulp into the soup, whisk and refrigerate 1/3 of it.
• Cut the 2 cooked asparagus stalks into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside. Slice the 2 raw asparagus stalks into 1 1/2- by- 1/8-inch julienne. Set aside.
• For a risotto quenelle garnish, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water, 1/3 cup at a time, adding more as water is absorbed, cooking risotto about 10 minutes in all. Add the diced asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice is al dente. Spread risotto on a plate to cool.
• Place the flour, egg and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Shape the rice into quenelles (small footballs) with 2 teaspoons, lightly roll in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.
• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a small pot to 375 degrees and fry the risotto quenelles until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• To serve, remove the cold soup from the refrigerator and remove any solidified butter to larger portion of soup. Heat the unrefrigerated soup till hot and pour into 12 small bowls, adding the reserved asparagus strands to 6 and the quenelles to 6. Pour the cold soup into 6 small bowls, adding the chopped raw salmon to each. Serve each diner with 3 different soups.