My friend first made me this soup as a comfort during a difficult time. As these things go, I now have a hard-wired association with creamy asparagus soup and love. It is creamy and smooth, fresh and lemony, and has a very pleasant salty finish. I hope that it communicates love and comfort to you, as well.
YIELD: 4 (2-cup) servings
The Stuff:
2 pounds asparagus
1 medium white onion, chopped
¼ cup salted butter, divided
5½ cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy whipping cream
lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
What to Do:
1 Set aside 10 asparagus stalks.
2 Cut any tough parts from the bottom of the asparagus and slice the remaining parts into ½-inch pieces.
3 Cook the onion and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat until butter is melted and onion is soft. Add the asparagus pieces and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, covered, until the asparagus gets very tender. This should take about 20 minutes.
4 During this 20 minutes of simmering, trim the reserved asparagus stalks in ½-inch pieces and boil in salted water for approximately 4 minutes, until tender. Drain the water and set aside.
5 Remove soup from heat for 5 to 10 minutes. If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the soup until it is smooth. If you do not, pour the soup into a regular blender and blend till smooth.
6 Back in the pot, pour in the heavy whipping cream, taste the soup, and add as much salt and pepper as you’d like. Bring soup back to a boil. Once boiling, add the remaining butter. Let it cool enough to taste, add lemon juice to your liking, then add the remaining asparagus pieces for texture.