asparagus soup - say hello to spring!

asparagus soup. so far, this is my favorite spring soup. creamy & full of flavor and with NO CREAM. the asparagus is truly the star here. the lemon really brightens up the flavors. this recipe is adapted from 300 Sensational Soups cookbook. a friend bought this book for me, thank you, max! this soup can easily be vegan, substitutions are listed. say hello to spring with a bowl of asparagus soup! here’s how:

you’ll need:

2 lbs fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
2 leeks, cleaned well & sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 box chicken stock (or veg stock)
½ lemon, juiced, no seeds
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus salt to taste

you’ll do;

break off the tough bottoms of the asparagus and cut off tips. set tips aside, this is the soup garnish. cut the asparagus stems into ¼ inch pieces.

in a large dutch oven/pot melt butter over medium high heat. add leeks. sprinkle with salt and sauté until softened, 6-8 minutes. sprinkle with flour and cook 2 more minutes.

meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil water. add 2 tablespoons salt after water comes to a boil. add asparagus tips. prepare an ice bath to stop the cooking and preserve the nice green color. an ice bath is a bowl with ice, water and 1 tablespoon salt. when water returns to a boil, remove tips with spider strainer and put directly into the ice bath, a.k.a., a bowl of sallty, iced water.

using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. stir in lemon juice and taste for seasoning. add salt if needed.

remove asparagus tips from iced water and drain on paper towels.

ladle soup into bowls and top with asparagus tips. eat.