Asparagus-Pea Soup with Parmesan Cheese
This bright green soup is made by simmering the asparagus and vegetables into a rich stock. Adding white wine, lime juice and cayenne pepper and a little cream make this an elegant and flavorful first course.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of fresh asparagus
- 2 celery stalks 8-inches each, rough chopped
- 1 large onion rough chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cans 14.5 ounces each, chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 (12-ounce) package frozen peas thawed
- grated zest from one lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 cup white wine
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 limes juiced
- ½ cup shavings of parmesan cheese
- 2 limes quartered
Instructions
Prepare the Asparagus:
- Wash the asparagus under cold water and cut off the tough, woody ends. (this is the part that is normally discarded.)
- Cut off enough of the tips to reserve for garnishment. Then cut the remaining green tender spears into 1-inch pieces and reserve.
Make the Broth:
- Add the tough, woody ends of the asparagus to the bowl of a food processor (use the chopping blade). Pulse several times to chop it well. Transfer to a large saucepan, and add the chopped celery, onion, salt, and chicken broth.
- Bring the chopped vegetables to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then strain the stock over a bowl, mashing with the back of a wooden spoon to get as much flavor as possible from the cooked vegetables.
- Discard the strained vegetables. You should have about 5 cups of stock.
Make the Soup:
- Melt the butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven and add the shallot and garlic, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the reserved cut asparagus spears to a pot. Add the peas, wine, lime zest, thyme, the asparagus/vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Add the cooled soup, in batches, to a food processor, blender or use a stick blender and puree.
- Return the processed soup to the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the cayenne pepper and the cream. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Do not allow the soup to boil once the cream has been added.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
For the Garnishment:
- Bring a small pan of water to boil and cook the reserved asparagus tips for 1-2 minutes, remove and plunge them into a dish of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain them on paper towels to be used as a garnishment on the individual soup dishes.
- To serve, ladle the soup into eight shallow soup bowls, garnish with the asparagus tips and shavings of parmesan cheese. Pass a dish with the lime quarters for each guest to squeeze on top of their soup.
Notes
The tough woody part of the asparagus is usually discarded, however, there is a lot of flavor in them and we are using them to made a flavor-packed broth.
Recipe inspired from The Soup Bible as well as Daniel Humm, from The Flavor Bible.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 590mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g
