Cream of Asparagus Soup
This is a great recipe for a rainy spring day… after the asparagus has started popping, but when it’s a little chilly or rainy and the comfort of a hot soup still feels good.
2 c. water or stock
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
6 Tbs butter
6 Tbs flour
1 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus
4 cups scalded milk
1 tsp. salt
white pepper
optional flavor-adders:
dash of tamari
few pinches of dill
Break off the tough asparagus bottoms and put them in your compost bin. Then break off the asparagus tips and set them aside. Chop what remains of the stalks, then saute them together with the onions in the butter and a touch of salt for 8-10 minutes until onions are clear.
Then sprinkle in the flour. Continue to cook over lowest possible heat 5-8 minutes. Add water or stock.
Cook another 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it thickens.
Purée the sauce and milk bit-by-bit in a blender, blending until smooth. Return the purée to a kettle, and add flavors (salt, pepper, dill, tamari). Heat the soup very gently! Don’t boil it. As the soup is heating, sauté the asparagus tips in a little butter until tender, but still very green. And these (whole) to the soup.
Serve immediately.
Note: the first time I made this, I used a cast iron skillet (frying pan) for the first several steps. Then after blending, I poured into a cast iron kettle to finish heating up the soup. They worked great! When using cast iron, you have to be extra careful not to get the pots too hot – it takes them a long time to cool down. But for that reason they are perfect for this soup – because you can heat them slowly so the soup gets hot (without boiling), and the soup will stay warm for quite a while after taking it off the stove.