Pan-Roasted Asparagus Soup
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds thin asparagus (if only thick spears are available, peel them first)
- 2tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 10fresh tarragon leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- 4cups chicken or other stock
- Salt and pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
399 calories; 28 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 741 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Break off bottom part of each asparagus stalk, and discard. Coarsely chop the rest of stalks, leaving 12 or 16 of the flower ends whole. Put butter or oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. A minute later, add asparagus and tarragon, raise heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Remove whole flower ends; set aside.
- Step 2
Add stock and some salt and pepper; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until asparagus is very tender, about 10 minutes. Cool at least a few minutes.
- Step 3
Pour soup into a blender, in batches if necessary, and carefully purée. Return to pan, and, over medium-low heat, reheat gently. When soup is hot, adjust seasoning. Put 3 or 4 asparagus flower ends in each of 4 bowls; ladle in soup, and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
I don't know why the NYT recipes keep calling for hot soups to be put in a blender. That way lies a nasty mess and more things to clean. GET AN IMMERSION BLENDER and live the simple life you always wanted.
When I want to thicken "cream" soups without flour, etc, I add a small amount of plain white rice during the simmering. It gets pureed along with the vegetable and gives the finished product a bit more texture without adding another flavor. For this amount of liquid, I'd probably add 2-3 TBSP, depending on how thick you want it. (Thanks to a Julia Child recipe tip).
I really think one ought to cook some onions first as a base for the stock.
Since I am lucky enough to have asparagus in my garden, I can verify that peeling is NOT necessary for freshly harvested spears (no older than 3 days, no matter the thickness). Otherwise I second the recommendations to add chopped onions/leeks & 1-2 diced potatoes to the chopped spears browning in olive oil. Adding 1-2 inches of pork side meat while the soup simmers gives it a richer flavor. After using my immersion blender, I often stir in 1/4 cup half n half or 2 tbsp sour cream. Muy bueno!
We STILL love this soup and come back to this recipe often. While we do like the various comments about how to thicken the soup, we tried roasting a small white SWEET potato and adding it during the blending process which not only gave it body, but depth of flavor and complexity.
Used better than bouillon chicken base and Penzey's Herbes De Provence since we didn't have fresh tarragon. Followed the recipe exactly - pureed in our Vita Mix blender. Delicious!