Asparagus season — my favorite season — has officially arrived!
Once planted, asparagus takes 3 years to produce stalks worth eating and then defies any efforts to uproot it. Forget Valentine’s Day! Asparagus is a seal in your garden, declaring commitment, hope, and vitality.
So once asparagus season begins, it’s only fitting to be ready with an arsenal of recipes. Now’s the time to savor asparagus’ sweet-earthy flavor.
My favorites are the simple recipes: gorgeously elegant Roasted Asparagus, Crunchy Pickled Asparagus that provides a lacto-fermented boost to any meal, and this Asparagus Leek Bisque. It’s creamy, delicate, and full of fresh spring flavors.
Be sure to check out my other spring favorite — Rhubarb Salsa!
Asparagus Leek Bisque
Ingredients
- 3 pounds asparagus tough ends snapped off and stalks chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 leek white and green parts, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee*
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil optional
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup brandy or sherry, optional
- 1 quart chicken stock use vegetable stock if you want to eat it cold later in the summer
- 2 cups heavy cream or 2 cups skimmed cream from coconut milk instead
- 1 pound lump crab optional
Instructions
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Snap the asparagus. **
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Chop the stalks into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
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Clean and slice the leeks and set aside.
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In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter melts and the bubbles subside.
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Adding olive oil is an old French trick to keep the butter from burning, so the olive oil isn't necessary if you use ghee.
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Add the leeks and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes.
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Add chopped asparagus, salt, and pepper. Sauté another 8 to 10 minutes until the asparagus begins to soften.
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Pour in brandy and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.
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Add chicken stock and simmer over medium heat until the asparagus is tender, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.
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Using an immersible blender or working carefully in batches with a standard blender, pureé the soup until smooth.
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The mixture will be quite thick, so work carefully to avoid burns as you blend.
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Return to medium-low heat OR cool and place in the freezer for future meals.
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When ready to serve, heat over medium-low, add cream, and heat just until hot.
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Do not boil.
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Ladle into bowls and place a pile of crabmeat in the middle of each bowl, if using.
Recipe Notes
*See how to make ghee.
**I snap the asparagus by hand rather than with a knife. By hand I can tell exactly where the extra-fibrous tough part ends and where the tender stalk begins. Just bend each stalk and it will naturally break right where the tender part begins. This way you won't end up with fibers in your teeth even after you've pureed the soup.
A Few Tips
Have an abundance of asparagus? This soup freezes well before adding the cream. Consider doubling the batch, freezing the pureé, then thawing it later in summer when the heat is overbearing and you don't feel like cooking. It's a lovely reminder of the already-past freshness of spring.
As an additional summertime option, use vegetable stock rather than chicken, so when you thaw it and stir in the cream, you can enjoy it as a cold summer soup.
Also, the crab is optional. I use it as additional protein — not to mention, crab is always in season where I live, by the sea! It adds a wonderful extra layer of flavor to the soup, but is still delicious without.
What is your favorite spring soup recipe? Do you love asparagus, too?
This post was featured in 41 Exciting Ways To Use Spring Produce and 34 Blended Soups That Will Change Your Mind About Blended Soup.
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This was delicious! It tastes better than it smells- a light, nutty flavor.