Farm-to-Table: Asparagus Soup

Spring has arrived in the Hudson Valley! The weather is warming up, farmers markets and farm stands are opening up again for the season, and everything is just beginning to turn green.  One of the first local vegetables available from farms and markets around the Hudson Valley each spring is asparagus.  We picked up some freshly picked asparagus this past weekend to make a delicious spring time recipe for farm-to-table asparagus soup.

We adapted a recipe from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child and Simone Beck as our guide.

This recipe is simple and delicious! Pick up some fresh produce from your local farmers market follow along. Here’s what you’ll need:

2 lbs. fresh green asparagus
2/3 to 3/4 cup sliced leeks
4 tablespoons of butter
6 cups of water
2 teaspoons of salt
4 tablespoons of flour

First, wash and prepare the asparagus and onions.  We used leeks instead of onions to keep the soup light and full of spring flavor.

Slice the leeks and cook slowly in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are tender but not browned. Set aside.

Cut about 1/4 inch off the hard bottoms of the asparagus. Then peel from the bottom up until the green begins to remove scales.  Cut off the top three inches of each spear and place the tops aside. Cut the lower parts of the asparagus stalks into 3/4 inch pieces.

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a rapid boil, add the asparagus stalks and boil uncovered for 5 minutes.

Add the blanched stalks to the leeks, making sure to reserve the pot of asparagus water.  Cover the leek-asparagus mixture and cook for 5 minutes.

Bring the pot of water back to a boil and add the asparagus tops, boil uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender.  Remove immediately and drain, making sure to reserve the water for the soup base. Place the boiled tops aside.

Once the stalks and leeks have cooked together for 5 minutes, uncover the pan and mix in 4 tablespoons of flour.  Cook slowly, stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Gradually, start to add the asparagus blanching water.  Once all the water has been added, simmer slowly, partially covered, for about 25 minutes or until the stalks are very tender.  Using the asparagus cooking water as stock keeps the soup’s base light so the flavor of the asparagus can really shine through.

Line up the blanched asparagus tops and cut the tip ends into 1/4 inch slices and put aside for garnish.

Add the remaining asparagus tops to the soup base and puree the mixture with a hand held blender directly in the pot.

Garnish each bowl with reserved asparagus top pieces before serving along side a fresh slice of bread.  Enjoy!