SOUP’S ON: Asparagus Soup & Veggie Frittata
I’m a soupy.
And, it seems, I’m not alone. According to food historians, the main ingredient of the earliest soups on record, dating to 6,000 BC, was hippopotamus. (To keep that in perspective, Cleopatra lived from 69-30 BC.) Most cultures proudly claim their own particular classic. To scroll through more than forty of them, from Erwtensoep (Netherlands) to Kimchi jigae (Korean) to Pho (Vietnamese) is a unique culinary experience.
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe choice, Asparagus Soup, seems rather ho-hum by comparison. Au contraire. It’s finally Springtime in the Rockies. Delicate, young asparagus stalks stand proudly in our produce bins, ripe for the plucking. I grabbed the 2 1/2 pounds necessary for this delicious soup and got to work. Yes, I was supposed to be in Paris this week, the first of my three-week trip to France. I’m not. More about that later.
Instead, I had time to trim off the woody bottoms of the asparagus stalks, boil the remaining parts for 4 to 5 minutes in a large pot of water and then blanch them. Although Dorie suggests retaining the asparagus water for the liquid, which I did, you could also choose to use vegetable or chicken broth.
After cooking leeks, onions, shallots and garlic in olive oil and butter, everything but the asparagus is thrown together and left to simmer for 15 minutes. The asparagus comes to the party for the last 5 minutes.
Working in batches, I pureed the soup in my food processor. To be fair, I blitzed the heck out of it for a smooth but thick result. Salt. Pepper. Done.
Since I didn’t go to France last Friday, I was included in a special birthday celebration on Saturday. My friend, Charlotte, who is not only an extraordinary musician but also a Weber whiz, sent me home with the leftovers from her roasted mini-vegetables platter. The resulting frittata worked wonderfully with this soup. Thanks, Char.
About France. Last Thursday afternoon I drove to Denver, checked into an airport hotel, confirmed my flight and booked the early morning 5am shuttle to catch my plane. Later in the evening I decided this was not a good time for me to travel. Better to stay on this side of the Pond than the other for now. Yikes. But I went with my gut feeling, folded my wings and returned to Aspen. A disappointing decision in many ways but the right one.