Cream of Asparagus Soup

I was going through the freezer today, when i came across several bags of asparagus ends: during the year instead of throwing out the ends of the asparagus, I save them to make soup. Well actually I have entire freezer full of bones, veggie ends, apple cores, etc.

This soup calls for homemade Chicken stock, which is really easy to make, and its all from things most people throw out. You will need a few chicken carcasses, celery ends, carrot ends, onions and parsley stalks.  I will post a bit later my stock recipes, all from throw away ingredients; now back to the soup.

If you like a garnish of asparagus tips for the soup you will need a few fresh spears.

Above are some of the frozen asparagus from the freezer.

Ingredients

2 pounds of Asparagus, cut into inch pieces

1 large onion

1 medium Italian Pepper

a hand full of fresh Italian Parsley, diced

3 table spoons of butter, unsalted

5 cups of homemade Chicken Broth

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup of half and half

Vanilla Salt and Pepper to taste

Place a large sauce pan over medium heat, add butter to pan to melt.

Next rough cop the onion and pepper and add to pan.  Cook until soft.

Add the asparagus stalks to pan and cook for about 5 minutes. 

Add Chicken Stock and Wine, bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender.

While the soup is simmering; if you are using the tips of a garnish, place a small pot of water on high heat.  Once the water is boiling, add tips and boil until tender, about 2 minutes.  Remove and place in cold water until serving.

In small batches, puree soup until smooth, then return to pan.  Now add the half & half and parsley, stir to combine. Warm soup until just about to boil.  Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.  Remove from heat, plate, add the asparagus tips to the bowls and serve.

I have a few times also served with a lemon wedge.  

Enjoy Cooking