An extra vivid Green Asparagus Soup to start spring on the right foot. A simple soup made of asparagus, cream, broth, leeks and a topping of crunchy cured ham.
Asparagus is the spring vegetable by excellence, although it became an all-year-long available veggie with globalization. A favourite of many, this long vegetable comes in many colours and forms, whether green, white or even purple. These veggies are simply irresistible. The white ones were collected before they could even reach the sun. The most common one, the green, is enjoyable in millions of ways, whether grilled, boiled or fried. In this case, in a Green Asparagus Soup!
No Thickeners
This soup is unctuous, as long as you don’t add too much broth or water. There are no thickeners, potatoes, eggs, or added starch; it’s simply plenty of asparagus. I’ve used chicken broth with it, but it could simply be water or vegetable broth.
Topping
I had a slightly cooked and crunchy cured ham to accompany it. I’ve used it timidly, and it’s optional, of course, but the slightly cooked cured ham with this soup adds a whole new texture and welcomes a salty bite to the smooth green soup. Of course, this last touch is optional and needs to be added last minute before serving. To prevent a saggy sad ham.
The Technique
To keep the vivid green colour… The technique is simple. First of all, you shouldn’t overcook your vegetable. This applies to any green veggie soup. For this particular veggie, usually, 5 minutes is the max… depending on the thickest of your asparagus. You’ll need to soften the leeks before adding the asparagus for this specific recipe. When the asparagus is tender after 5 minutes of boiling, add the cream immediately and blend. This will stop the cooking process of your asparagus, which will freeze its colour.
Don’t forget to keep a few extra pieces of asparagus for extra crunch and decoration.
Other Asparagus Recipes
So let’s make this vivid green soup!
Extra Green Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 900 g green asparagus
- 700 ml chicken broth (or water)
- 2 leeks (finely sliced)
- 200 ml cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 slices of cured ham (optional)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a big pot, soften the leeks in butter at medium-high heat.
- Add the broth and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cut off the end of the asparagus and then into small pieces of 2 cm (1 inch),* keep some tips for decoration.
- Add the decoration tips to the soup for 3-4 minutes until al dente. Then take them out and rinse them in cold water for 30 seconds (keep the colour vivid). Reserve.
- Add all the asparagus and cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft.
- Stop the fire, add the cream and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add a topping of a few asparagus tips and slightly cooked cured ham (3 minutes in the oven or on the pan).
