Cream of Asparagus Soup

When I decided to go pick some asparagus, I knew that I wanted to make some cream soup. I LOVE cream soups and I LOVE asparagus, so it was a no brainer when I found this simple recipe from Elise's wonderful website. I didn't have any vermouth, so I omitted it. I do see how it would have brought out more flavor though. It's probably not worth buying an entire bottle for just this, but use it if you have some in your liquor cabinet.



Creamy Asparagus Soup from Elise of Simply Recipes

Ingredients
2 lbs asparagus
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
5 cups chicken broth
Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp dry vermouth
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1) Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

2) Cook onion in butter in a 4 or 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3) While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

4) Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. If you want a very creamy texture, you can put the purée through a food mill or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in cream. Stir in vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with asparagus tips.

Serves 4-6.
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet magazine