Spring Asparagus Soup that is greener than new grass and heralds spring. I’ll show you the trick to not only makes a beautiful soup, but also a delicious one. This recipe may be served cold or warm, early spring. Enjoy!
Tip : You can use frozen thawed spinach instead of fresh spinach. One half of a frozen package would be the equivalent of one small bag of baby spinach. If you use packaged chicken stock, try to purchase low sodium, otherwise, taste the soup before seasoning, you will likely find that additional salt will not be needed.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot or 1/2 an onion
- 1 bunch thin or thick asparagus
- 1 bunch baby spinach or a bag of baby spinach
- 1 carton chicken stock
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting recipe.
- Melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat
- While the butter is melting, 1 medium shallot or 1/2 of a medium sized onion.
- Add shallots to bubbling butter and sauté until the shallots have become translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Reserve 2 asparagus stalks per person. These will be used as garnish.
- While the shallots are cooking, wash 1 bunch thin or thick asparagus, cut off the last one inch of the stalks and discard, and then slice the balance into 1-inch pieces.
- Once the shallots have softened, add the asparagus and sauté for a further 4-5 minutes, or until the asparagus begins to soften.
- Add 1 carton chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the asparagus is soft.
- Puree the soup with either an immersion blender or blender, taste and adjust for seasoning. Set aside to finish before serving. At this point, the soup looks more like pea soup than the bright green spring asparagus soup.
Final Step
- Rinse 1 bunch baby spinach and add to the soup.
- Blend in with an immersion blender or use a normal blender to pure the fresh spinach and blend with the asparagus soup.
Garnish
- Using a potato peeler, peel that last third of each reserved asparagus stalk.
- Place the reserved asparagus on a plate, cover with cling wrap and microwave the asparagus for 30 seconds on high; remove from microwave and immediately remove the cling wrap and place the asparagus under cold running water. This prevents the asparagus from continuing to cook. Two spears will be placed on each plate when serving the soup.
