Fido the Yak

We're still finding bountiful cheap asparagus at the supermarket, so here's a simple recipe for cream of asparagus soup.

• 2 quarts vegetable stock


• 1 quart nonfat milk


• 1 bunch of asparagus


• 3 Tbsp. yogurt butter


• 3 Tbsp. flour


• 1 large clove of garlic


• salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste

I had a thick vegetable stock made with a lot of (wait for it) asparagus stalks and onion, among other vegetables. You might think about adding an onion or more asparagus to the soup depending on your stock. Joy says not to use nutmeg with cream of asparagus soup. Obviously I disagree, but only by a dash. Break off all but the leafy tips of the asparagus stalks. Roughly chop the nonleafy stalks and put the pieces in a soup pot with the vegetable stock. Chop up the garlic and put that in the pot too. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile make some roux with the yogurt butter and flour in a sauce pan that will accommodate the quart of milk. Yogurt butter roux wants a lower temperature than ordinary butter roux. You make a roux by melting the butter and whisking in the flour. Let it cook on low heat for a few minutes. Warm the milk either in the microwave or in another sauce pan. Don't boil or scald the milk at any stage in the preparations. Pour the milk into the roux a bit at a time, whisking the milk into the roux. Gradually it becomes like a white sauce. Let that simmer. Stir it now and then. You can let the asparagus stalks boil for a long time, twenty minutes or so, until they are good and tender. Turn it off and let it cool just a few minutes. You're going to need another pot or a bowl you can transfer the hot liquid to while you puree it in about two or three batches. (I don't know. How big's your blender?) Puree it in a blender. Put the puree in a soup pot back on the stove. Put it on medium heat. Chop up the asparagus tips and add those. Stir in the thickened milk. Add salt and white pepper and grate some nutmeg to taste. Let it simmer on a medium low heat for a few minutes. Voila. About six servings. For dinner try coq au vin, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a Semillon or the like.

Labels: asparagus, cooking

posted by Fido the Yak at 4:19 PM.