| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 55 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 first-course servings ( |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds medium asparagus (2 bunches), cut in half crosswise
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 parsley sprigs
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dry white vermouth
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with salted ice water. Working in 2 batches, add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus to the bowl of ice water. Drain. Reserve 7 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
- Thinly slice 18 of the asparagus tips on the diagonal and reserve for a garnishing the soup. Chop the remaining asparagus spears into small pieces.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes more.
- Pour in the reserved asparagus cooking liquid and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the soup. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped asparagus and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the asparagus mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the asparagus soup. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.
- Whisk the heavy cream, vermouth, and salt into the soup and season with pepper. Divide among warm soup bowls, sprinkle each soup with the reserved asparagus tips, and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 235 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 368 mg |
Reviews
I would give this soup 10 stars if I could!! The consistency was perfect and the flavor outstanding! I didn’t follow all the directions, because I have been cooking for over 50 years and knew that some of the steps were unnecessary, so I got through it in about 35 minutes. Would highly recommend this, but use really fresh asparagus, not some that’s been sitting in the grocery store for days!!
I have made this soup a couple times and it turned out great both times. As some other reviewers stated, I didn’t strain it….I don’t think it needed it. The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly (except for straining) and it came out thick and rich and satisfying. The second time I made it a bit thinner, served it cold topped with spicy crab. Perfect for a warm spring lunch paired with a sandwich and a cold glass of pinot….yumm. This is definitely a keeper.
This recipe resulted in a delicious soup, but had a few too many steps. I cut off 16 tips and blanched them separately for garnish, skipping that whole ice water thing . The peeled stalks were cooked with the other veggies (I put the peels in a cheesecloth packet with the herbs). Following the suggestion of another post, I added a small finely diced potato to provide thickening and skipped the flour. I also added the white wine earlier in the cooking process, and did not strain–it was for a family dinner, so since we don’t mind some texture, a perfectly smooth presentation wasn’t necessary–I would do strain it for entertaining.
I made this in my Vitamix in less than 10 minutes! Will definitely try this again.
This recipe is good!!! Made it, loved it!!!
I liked this recipe. I made it in about 45 min., I don’t think that’s too long for a homemade soup. It had a nice consistency and flavor, but the only thing I added more of was salt and pepper. A nice soup for spring like weather.
First of all, the recipe was written so poorly that if I didn’t know how to cook, I would have tossed the entire thing down the disposal. Example: salt ice water?Why not salt the water for the asparagus? Everyone knows salt does not dissolve in ice water! I followed the basic recipe and found it to be tasteless. This was very disappointung and a waste of 2 lbs of wonderful asparagus.
I gave it a boost with some worcestershire sauce and a dash of tabasco, but it wasn’t worth the trouble.
I gave it a boost with some worcestershire sauce and a dash of tabasco, but it wasn’t worth the trouble.
excellent. instructions ought be more linear. could stand a bit more asparagus flavor, ie., don’t use more than 8 C or water. straining and blending are important.
Just made this recipe and it was delicious. I did make a few changes, though. I didn’t cook the asparagus separately, but chopped it up and added with the onions, celery and carrot. I also didn’t strain it after it was blended as I had a very difficult time trying to get it through the sieve. It was delicious without straining, and I will definitely make this again. It was much easier and less time consuming to prepare using the shortcuts!
I followed the recipe PERFECTLY. It was horrible…my husband’s family has been in the restaurant business in the past…he was able to save the disaster…in order to fix this garbage you need to add two chicken boullion cubes. 2 cups grated sharp cheddar, one more cup of cream and about 2 and a half tablespoon of salt, pepper to taste. After adding these items–very awesome