“No-Cream” Cream of Asparagus Soup

Serves 4

Who says a chilled soup can’t be heart-warming? This sweet, seasonal soup uses traditional ingredients with a simple addition of avocado to cream and thicken. Asparagus is a seasonal vegetable, best bought at the peak of the season (spring and late summer) at your local farmers’ market.

Cooking Tip: Instead of guessing where to trim asparagus to get the sweetest, most tender pieces, hold the stalk with both hands and gently bend. It will break exactly where the toughness starts and tenderness ends. Save the tough ends for stock.

Cooking Tip: To “simmer” means to bring the cooking liquid to just below the boiling point. There should be a very gentle, low bubbling, nothing more. “Boiling” is to bring the liquid to a full bubble.

2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
1/2 yellow onion or 1/2 cup chopped farmers market bunching onions
1 pound asparagus, ends removed, chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1/2 – 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (check sodium content of stock!)
1 teaspoon honey (optional, if slightly bitter)

Heat the ghee or oil in a medium stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and asparagus and saute for 5-6 minutes, until tender. Add the stock. Bring the soup to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor (you may have to do this in batches) and add the avocado. Puree until smooth.

If serving warm: Transfer the soup back to the pot and stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste. Add more lemon juice to brighten, salt to bring up flavors, honey to balance any bitterness.

If serving chilled: Transfer the soup back to the pot and chill for several hours. Add the remaining ingredients before serving. Taste. Add more lemon juice to brighten, salt to bring up flavors, honey to balance any bitterness.

Food photos by Jackson D. Carson

©2010. Alison Anton. All rights reserved.