SPRING ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH DILL

Soup

1 pound asparagus

½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter

½ medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups homemade or canned chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Dill oil

½ cup finely chopped fresh dill

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper

1. For the soup, cut the flowered top off of each asparagus spear, just about an inch long, and set these aside as a garnish for the finished soup. Chop the remaining asparagus spears into ½-inch pieces, discarding the bottom 2 inches of the woody stem. Melt the butter over a medium flame in a 4-quart pot. Add the onions and asparagus. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the asparagus begin to soften. Add the flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes.

2. While the soup is simmering, in a small saucepan bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the asparagus tips and blanch briefly. Drain the tips and run under cold water. The color should remain a bright green and the tips still crunchy for texture.

3. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. The asparagus should be fully cooked and rather soft. Puree the soup, using either a hand-held blender or a traditional blender. Once blended, pass the soup though a strainer into a clean bowl for a perfectly smooth texture. Return the pureed soup to a clean saucepan to reheat or refrigerate the soup until needed. The soup can be made a day ahead up to this point.

4. For the dill oil, put the dill, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a blender until smooth and bright green in color. Adjust the seasonings, adding a bit more lemon juice or salt if the flavor is too neutral.

5. Reheat the soup slowly over a low flame, taking care not to boil. Ladle it into soup bowls or a tureen, and garnish with the reserved asparagus tips and a drizzle of dill oil.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS AS A FIRST COURSE