I was looking for some new ways to eat asparagus besides roasted or grilled, which are my favorite, and found a great recipe in Love Soup. I need to say again how much I love this book. I was looking at the Asparagus Bisque with Fresh Dill recipe when I made this version.
I changed it a bit. Here's what I ended up using:
- 2 bunches leeks
- a bunch of asparagus
- one big fennel bulb
- 3 small new potatoes
- a bunch of herbs from our garden (dill and chives)
- juice from a lemon
- salt and pepper
- cream just to change the color (optional)
I cut up the leeks and sauteed them in a little olive oil and salt and pepper for about 10 minutes. Then I added the chopped asparagus, fennel, and potatoes and poured in water until just covered. When it came to a boil I covered it, turned it to low, and let cook for about an hour. Then I used my stick blender on it and added the lemon juice and herbs and the tiny amount of cream. I served it with rye bread toast with chevre. Delicious. If you really blend this until super smooth it makes a wonderful chilled soup. And the fennel taste is very subtle, so if fennel isn't your best friend, don't worry. This soup tastes even better the next day.
I would like to tell you I use homemade broth, but guess what? I don't. Almost never, and my soups are awesome. I just have to say this. If you ever feel like you need a veggie broth to make a good soup, you don't. I mean I know you are supposed to make a huge batch and freeze it and all that, but then you have to know to thaw it and I just don't know that kind of stuff. I decide to make soup and I make it—and thawing frozen both is just not something I can be down with. I don't use purchased broth because of the sodium, plus why buy it when a little water tastes just fine? I think for me the key is to barely cover it with enough water. Also, I make pureed soups about 99% of the time. If I made broth based soups with big old hunks of veggies, I would use a homemade broth for sure.
My other rule is that I never use more than one pot for making soups. So if there is sauteing, or caramelizing onions, or cooking greens, or any of that— it all happens in the soup pot. I know this is not how Love Soup does it, but I still have made delicious soups from that book using my super lazy method of one pot and no broth.
