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.

4.87 from 15 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 2

Servings: servings

Calories: 309kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

3 pounds of fresh asparagus
2 celery stalks 8-inches each, rough chopped
1 large white or yellow 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 of the asparagus 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 the asparagus. Transfer the 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 and 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 Soup 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.

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