reid@decwrl.DEC.COM (Brian Reid) (02/12/88)
ASPARAG-SOUP-1(SPV) USENET Cookbook ASPARAG-SOUP-1(SPV)
SUMMER ASPARAGUS SOUP
ASPARAG-SOUP-1 - A light and simple asparagus soup
Every summer, it seems, the grocery stores are glutted with
cheap asparagus. Most of the classical recipes for asparagus
soup produce a hearty winter-style soup. Here's a simple
recipe for a delicious, light, thin soup that is more in
keeping with the time of the year that the glut occurs. You
can leave out the chicken broth to make it a meatless soup,
but it does require egg yolks.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6)
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus
2 Tbsp flour
6 cups boiling water
2 tsp salt
1/4 " cup" (optional)
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
PROCEDURE
(1) Melt the butter in a pan big enough to cook the
soup. Saut' the onions for a few minutes, until
transparent but not brown.
(2) Meanwhile, slice the asparagus into thin slices.
Now add the sliced asparagus pieces to the onions
and continue to saut' (over medium to medium-high
heat) for 15 minutes, until most of the moisture
has steamed out of the asparagus and the mixture
has just barely started to brown.
(3) Add the flour to the onion/asparagus mixture and
stir well to coat each piece with some flour. Cook
for 2 or 3 more minutes over medium-high heat.
(4) Dump the boiling water into the asparagus mixture.
Add the (optional) chicken broth and the salt.
Simmer for 1 hour.
(5) Strain out the cooked asparagus, leaving behind a
thin yellow-green soup.
(6) Thicken the soup with the 2 egg yolks. Add the
milk and reheat the soup to serving temperature.
Add salt and fresh-ground white pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.
NOTES
The slicing disk on a food processor does an excellent job
of slicing the asparagus for this recipe. You can use a food
mill, a china cap, or an ordinary sieve to strain the cooked
asparagus out of the broth.
Don't try to make this soup as a low-salt soup by leaving
out the salt. It will taste like dishwater if you cook the
asparagus for an hour without salt. Don't try to skimp on
time by leaving the cooked asparagus in the broth
unstrained. It will ruin the texture.
RATING
Difficulty: easy to moderate (thickening soup with egg yolks
is not a beginner's skill). Time: 10 minutes preparation, 1
hour simmering, 5 minutes finishing. Precision: Approximate
measurement OK.
CONTRIBUTOR
Brian Reid
DEC Western Research Laboratory, Palo Alto, California, USA
reid@decwrl.dec.com {decvax,sun,ucbvax,cbosgd,pyramid}!decwrl!reid