Asparagus Soup

Chicagoland Chef du Jour's Note:

A great beginning to any meal. Great for lunch or dinner. This is very good and easy to make. This recipe is easily halved. The first time I made this, I used what I had on hand and made a couple substitutions. I used scallions for the leeks, used a red potato, decided not to garnish with the tips and tossed them in, no sour cream or chives. I pureed with a hand blender. It still was outstanding! Enjoy! From the Chicago Tribune "good eating" section, 5.6.09.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, finely chopped, substitute med-large 6-8 green scallions with tops
• 1 lb asparagus, cleaned, snap off woody ends, peeling (optional)
• 1 medium idaho potato, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• white pepper, to taste
• 1 -2 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
• crouton (optional)

Directions:

1. Clean asparagus and cut into 2" pieces. Reserve tips for garnish.
2. Prepare potatoes, peel and cut into 2" pieces.
3. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a large sauce pan. Add leeks or onions, stirring occasionally until soft. About 5 minutes.
4. Add potatoes and asparagus, cook until well coated and begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
5. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper; heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low; partially cover. Cook until vegetables are tender, 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, if desired, boil water over high heat (for asparagus tips). Add the tips to the boiling water; boil until tender and still green. About 3 minutes. Drain and set aside for garnish. Toss into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking if desired.
7. Puree in small batches in a blender or sue a hand blender.
8. Stir in lemon juice to taste.
9. Ladle into bowl, top with a dollop of sour cream, tips, chives or croutons.

Reviews

[Nado2003]

Flavorful! Nice and easy, with simple ingredients. I skipped reserving the tips of the asparagus and put them right in there. I too used the immersion blender. Only used 1 tablespoon of butter, omitted the oil. Also kept my soup thick with about 3 cups of broth, I added about 3/4 cup of evaporated milk at the end and skipped the sour cream. Thank you. I will be making this again.

[Carolyn W]

This was very good! I added the tips in with the soup, subbed 7 scallions for the leeks, and used my immersion blender to blend it all. I added just 3 cups of low fat/sodium chicken broth, as I like my soups on the thicker side. The asparagus taste wasn't very strong after cooking, it reminded me a bit of split pea soup. Thanks for the recipe!