Simple asparagus soup – the best cream of asparagus soup you could make this spring. And how to make asparagus stock with asparagus woody ends.
We love soups! With a passion. All of us, kids included. I know many people, who are not much into soups, especially their children refuse to eat or only eat one or two choice kind of soups. But I’ve never had this problem with my own kids, well, I think it is hard not to learn to like soup, when you have been served some soup or another at least twice a week since you started on solids… 🙂
I make different kind of soups all the time, like I’ve said, at least twice a week. From our beloved Romanian Chicken Soup with Semolina Dumplings to creamy soups like this Asparagus Soup – Creamy and Aromatic or the Creamy Mushroom Soup with Cream Cheese to loaded soups like my favorite Turkey Meatball and Vegetable Soup or the Spicy Yellow Split Lentils and Beef Soup with Vegetables.
Oh, I have so many soup recipes on my blog, you should not have any difficulty at all in finding one you like!
Asparagus Soup – Creamy and Aromatic – Asparagus Recipes
This asparagus soup was amazing! I have made asparagus soups before, one of my favorite spring soups being this delicious Asparagus Chicken Noodle Soup with Leeks and Peas, but this is the best cream of asparagus soup I have ever made.
So good, I’ve had it both for lunch and dinner, eating two full bowls of it at each meal. And just writing about it right now, make me crave it again… although I have another delicious red lentil soup cooking slowly on the stove.
To make this soup I first cooked the asparagus woody stalk ends to make the stock (see below for more on making asparagus stock with its woody ends). Then I cooked the chopped asparagus stalks in this stock. I only added the asparagus tips to the soup at the end of the cooking process, they do not need long to become tender and they should retain a nice bite anyway.
The soup is thickened with a mixture of butter and flour and I used milk instead of cream to make the soup. You don’t even have to take full-fat milk, low-fat was perfect and it saved even more calories.
I spiced the soup with ground coriander. It was the first time I’ve combined coriander with asparagus, but it will definitely not be the last time, coriander harmonized perfectly with the asparagus, giving the soup a slight exotic hint, making it unbelievably delicious.
The asparagus stalks will be blended before adding the asparagus tips. This way you will get the wonderfully creamy soup, but still have something to bite on.
How to prepare asparagus for cooking:
When dealing with white asparagus you will not only have the woody ends leftover to make stock, but the asparagus peel as well. Snap the ends, lay the stalks on the working surface and carefully remove the peel using a vegetable peeler. Keep the peel and the woody ends for making asparagus stock.
When dealing with green asparagus, peeling is unnecessary. Although green asparagus has a stronger taste than white asparagus, it is more tender. Keep the woody ends for making stock.
If you cook a larger amount of asparagus for one meal then you should have enough asparagus ends to cook the stock immediately. If not, you can definitely freeze the asparagus peel and ends until you have enough to make stock.
How to make asparagus stock:
If you have followed this blog for a while, you might have noticed that I don’t like throwing food away, I like to use all that you could possibly use from a product. I do that either when I have a chicken, making a roast for instance and then using the bones for making chicken stock or with vegetables.
It is the same with asparagus. Either white or green asparagus, you have those woody ends that you cannot really eat. Of course, you could buy the asparagus that comes without the woody ends, but at least here in Germany, that costs about twice as much as regular asparagus and I really don’t see the point in buying it, I am actually happy to have those asparagus ends and make a good stock with them.
Making the asparagus stock is a very quick and easy affair:
Step 1: Gather all the asparagus peel and ends you have and give them to a pot. In the case of this Asparagus Soup – Creamy and Aromatic – Asparagus Recipes I used the woody ends from 800 g/ 1.7 lbs/ 2 bundles asparagus. This should be the minimum you should use, take more if you have gathered more in your freezer.
Step 2: Add water, 1 ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon butter and some salt.
Step 3: Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Strain the stock and use as suggested below, keep in the fridge for several days for making something else or freeze.
How to use asparagus stock:
Make today’s Asparagus Soup – Creamy and Aromatic – Asparagus Recipes
Use it for other vegetable or chicken soups
Make a risotto, for instance a Creamy Asparagus Risotto with Peas, Dill and Parmesan or this Risotto Bianco (White Risotto) from Jamie Oliver (cooked it with asparagus stock – so good!). Or this delicate Almond Risotto (recipe in German).
Use it for poaching vegetables, fish or chicken
Other asparagus recipes you might like:
Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs and Ham
Roasted Asparagus Recipe with Tomatoes and Feta
Crispy Asparagus in Puff Pastry with Homemade Lemon Mayonnaise
Spring Salad with Asparagus, Chicken and Strawberries
Delicious Asparagus Chicken Pasta Casserole with Parmesan
Asparagus Soup – Creamy and Aromatic – Asparagus Recipes
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Ingredients
- 800 g/ 1.7 lbs/ 2 bundles asparagus
- 1,5 liter/ 51 fl.oz/ 6 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 g/ 2.1 oz/ ¼ cup butter
- 1 large onion
- 60 g/ 2.1 oz/ ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 500 ml/ 17 oz/ 2 cups milk
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Wash the asparagus and snap off the woody ends. Give them to a soup pot, add the water, sugar, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove the asparagus woody ends with a slotted spoon and discard.
Add the chopped asparagus stalks to the stock. Save the asparagus tips for finishing the soup. Simmer the asparagus stalks in the soup, covered, for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and reserve the stock.
Wipe the pot clean. Melt the butter and cook the finely chopped onion for about 3 minutes until golden, but not brown. Sprinkle the flour in the pot and stir for 1 minutes. Slowly and gradually add the stock while whisking all the time. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 3 minutes until thickened.
Add the cooked asparagus and the coriander, the lemon juice and the milk. Add some salt and pepper as well. Bring to a boil again and simmer for about 5 minutes. Blend the soup until creamy.
Add the asparagus tips, bring to a boil again and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. The asparagus tips should still retain a bite. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
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2 comments
Best of the season, right? I had lots of poached asparagus last days…need to get some more before the season is over.
Strangely with all the dozens of ways I cook asparagus I’ve never tried making a soup. Yours soup looks delicious and I would love it also because I could mix up the tougher stems I always throw away.