Aspargus Soup Recipe
This recipe is good for the day or two after you cook up asparagus, because it makes a delicious soup out of what we normally cast away -- the woody ends and trimmings that we normally break off and toss in the compost bin.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium-large pot, bring half the milk almost to the boiling point (but it doesn't need to boil.)
- Meanwhile, wash and slice the leeks and set aside; wash, peel and dice the potatoes and set aside.
- In your tea-kettle, get the water boiling (how soon to start just depends on how long your kettle takes to boil.)
- When the milk is hot, toss the leeks in and let them simmer for 5 minutes. Then toss in the asparagus, then after another 5 minutes add the potato. After another 5 minutes, add the hot water, and let it all simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Then add the remaining half of the milk.
- Remove from the heat. Pass the soup a few ladlefuls at a time through the blender, and as you empty it out of the blender jug, empty it into a strainer or sieve over a large bowl. You will probably need to press and stir it through the strainer, and scoop out woody, stringy bits as you go along.
- Then transfer all back to the pot, and gently heat the soup back up to serving temperature. If it seems too thick , add some more milk or water. Taste. It will almost certainly want at least half a teaspoon of salt. Adjust seasoning as desired, and serve hot.
- If you have any yoghurt, sour cream or crème fraîche to hand, you can garnish each bowl with a dollop or swirl of that on top in the middle.
Notes
Use the trimmings from 1 bunch for this recipe. You will need a blender (or a food processor) and a strainer for this recipe. Mind the initial whoosh of hot soup in the jug when you turn the blender on each time; you may wish to put and hold a dish cloth on top of the blender lid to prevent any hot soup from heaving the lid up, though this shouldn't be a problem if you just do a few ladles at a time.