Asparagus Soup
Submitted by krazykc
From-scratch asparagus soup built on a stock made from the tough ends. Blended asparagus stems and leeks, optional cream, finished with whole tender tips and lemon zest.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minThis asparagus soup extracts maximum flavor from the whole vegetable. The tough lower ends that usually get discarded go into a quick homemade stock with leek greens, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and parsley. Twenty-five minutes of simmering and straining produces a deeply flavored base that’s more interesting than any boxed broth.
The stems go into the soup itself, cooked with butter-softened leeks until just tender, then blended smooth. The tips get treated separately: blanched for just 90 seconds to 2 minutes, they stay intact and go into the finished soup as a visual and textural element rather than disappearing into the puree.
Cream is optional. The blended asparagus-leek base is already silky without it. Lemon zest stirred in at the end cuts through any heaviness.
Chef Tips
- Don’t discard the asparagus ends; they’re the foundation of the stock and produce the soup’s deepest flavor
- Blend in batches and hold the blender lid firmly - hot liquid expands and can launch the lid
- Cook the tips separately and add them last so they stay bright green rather than going army-drab in the hot soup
- Add cream after blending to avoid curdling risk during the blend
Variations
- Vegan: Use olive oil instead of butter, skip the cream and Parmesan, and the soup stands well on its own
- Cold soup: This is excellent chilled; thin with extra stock before serving for the right pourable consistency
Ingredients
Directions
Snap the lower end of the asparagus where they break easily when bent. Rinse the ends well and roughly chop them into 1” pieces. Combine the rest of the stock ingredients in a stock pot, bring to a boil, simmer 20 to 25 minutes, and then strain.
Cut off the tips of the asparagus and set aside. Roughly chop the stems into 1” pieces. Melt the butter in a soup pot, add the leeks, and cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring as needed. Add the asparagus stems, salt and parsley. Pour in 5 cups of the stock and bring to a boil; then simmer until asparagus is just tender, about 6 minutes. Blend the soup in a blender.
Return soup to pot, stir in cream, if using, and thin it with more stock if necessary. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon peel. In another pot, bring a few cups of water to a boil with a little salt.
Cook the asparagus tips 1½ to 2 minutes until they are done. Add them to the soup. Bring soup to a gentle simmer.
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