Asparagus Soup
Asparagus soup means spring has sprung.
And my dad picked some from our garden this week!
So you know what that means... soup time! I eat soup all year, but this soup is especially special when it is made in in prime season.
This simple soup can be ready in under an hour. I pair tarragon with veggies like asparagus, potatoes, and string beans because they blend really well together and I believe this particular herb levels up those veggies in many dishes.
It is a vegan soup recipe with notes on the bottom if you want to make it vegetarian instead.
Minimal ingredients and maximum satisfaction kind of recipe.
ASPARAGUS SOUP
Serves: 4
Recipe based off of Mark Bittman Asparagus Soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ pounds thin asparagus (if only thick spears are available, peel them first)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 fresh tarragon leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
4 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Chop off the woody bottom part of each asparagus stalk, and discard. Coarsely chop the rest of stalks, leaving 12 or 16 of the flower ends whole. Put olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. A minute later, add asparagus and tarragon, raise heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Remove whole flower ends; set aside.
Add vegetable broth and some salt and pepper; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until asparagus is very tender, about 10 minutes. Cool at least a few minutes.
Pour soup into a blender, in batches if necessary, and carefully purée. Return to pan, and, over medium-low heat, reheat gently. When soup is hot, adjust seasoning. Put 3 or 4 asparagus flower ends in each of 4 bowls; ladle in soup, and serve.
Notes: If you want to make this vegetarian and not vegan, you can replace olive oil with butter and add 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese before blending. If you are adding the cheese though, do not oversalt the soup beforehand.