Chilled Asparagus Soup
Chicken base is basically dehydrated, powdered chicken stock. If you can't find it in the supermarket, grind chicken bouillon cubes. For the asparagus, cut about two inches off the stem end. You don't need to peel it. To blanch spinach, simply drop it in boiling salted water for one minute and then immediately submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking and retain the color. The spinach will provide the soup with a vibrant green hue.
Yield
6 servingsPrep
5 minCook
15 minReady
20 minLow Fat, Fat-Free, Low in Saturated Fat, Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber, Low Carb, Very low in sodium, Low Sodium
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | large |
onions
sliced thin |
|
| 1 | x |
olive oil
as needed |
*
|
| 1 | teaspoon |
chicken bouillon, powdered
|
*
|
| ¼ | x |
water
|
*
|
| 1 ½ | pounds |
asparagus
sliced thin |
|
| 12 | ounces |
spinach
blanched |
|
| 1 | x |
salt
to taste |
*
|
| 1 | x |
black pepper
to taste |
*
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | large |
onions
sliced thin |
|
| 1 | x |
olive oil
as needed |
*
|
| 5 | ml |
chicken bouillon, powdered
|
*
|
| 0.3 | x |
water
|
*
|
| 680.4 | g |
asparagus
sliced thin |
|
| 346.8 | ml/g |
spinach
blanched |
|
| 1 | x |
salt
to taste |
*
|
| 1 | x |
black pepper
to taste |
*
|
Directions
Sweat the onion in the olive oil until soft. Sweating is not sautéing. You are not trying to brown the onion, only soften it. Thus, use lower heat and add a little salt to help draw out the fluid. When the onion is soft, add the chicken base and cook for a minute or two. Add the water and asparagus and boil for five minutes. Using a hand blender, or a regular blender in batches, thoroughly purée the soup. Then blend the spinach into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want a very smooth soup, you can then work it through a fine mesh chinois or sieve. Finally, chill the soup before serving.
