Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus

1 leek (white and pale green part only), shallot, or onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 Tbl butter or olive oil

4 cups some combination of chicken stock, asparagus stock, water or milk

Pinch of dried tarragon or 1 tsp minced fresh dill

Salt to taste and a pinch of finely ground white pepper

Garnish Choices

Asparagus tips, blanched, shocked in ice water and sliced vertically

Dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream or whipped cream, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper

Drizzle of olive oil or heavy cream to dot the top

Broccoli Rabe or Mustard Green Flowers

Parmesan cheese, grated or in curls

Use one, none or any combination that appeals.

Instructions

Snap off the fibrous bottoms of the asparagus spears where they break easily when bent. You can use the bottoms for a vegetable stock. Simmer them with leek greens or onion, bay leaf, half a carrot, and a few parsley stems for around a half an hour. Then strain.

Coarsely chop the spears. If you want, reserve some asparagus tips for garnish.

Melt the butter or heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until they are fragrant. Add the asparagus spears and tarragon or dill. Sauté briefly until all the asparagus is a bright green.

Barely cover the asparagus with your choice of stock or water. Simmer until just tender. My personal favorite building blocks for asparagus soup are butter, chicken broth (a commercial product like Swanson’s is fine here), and a pinch of dry tarragon.

Strain the solids from the liquid, and purée in a blender, adding the liquid back in gradually, until you have your desired texture. Season with salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve the soup, heat, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, adjust the texture with stock, milk or cream, and garnish with Parmesan, dairy or fresh herbs.