Asparagus Ends and Garlic Soup Recipe, with olive oil and basil, makes for a delicious soup, helping not to waste the woody ends of fresh asparagus.
Who Knew An Asparagus Soup Recipe Made From Asparagus Trash Could Be So Delicious!
Finally, after a long winter, early spring asparagus season is upon us, and while asparagus take their good ole time to feel at home in their new garden, it is worth planting them so they return each year!
This delicious, very spring-like, light meal was created, the week of prepping for the up-and-coming main dish of the Easter dinner.
There I was, with one large heap of beautiful reserved tips of the asparagus I would serve with the meal, and a huge heap of tough ends of the asparagus.
I almost threw them in the trash.
A Food Waste Resolution
Some of my most favorite things I have created in my kitchen have come from scraps, bones and things I probably threw away when I was a young cook, and knew no better.
The best way to create a vegetable soup is to start the cooking process with scraps, and just boil the heck out of them until their flavors remain in the pot and not the trash or compost pile.
That was how this scrumptious, nutritious asparagus stock became the base for a light evening meal, served simply with crusty bread.
Seeing how I was making bread for appetizers and the Easter meal anyway, I simply made extra for this special meal.
Anyone Can Make A Creamy Asparagus Soup
Oh sure, as a young cook, learning lots of fancy recipes, I certainly have made my share of cream of asparagus soup.
Who wouldn’t find the tender reserved asparagus tips easily pureed into a creamy soup.
However, every good cook seeks to challenge themselves to becoming a great cook, by taking the ordinary and making it into something exceptional.Â
Often that means stepping away from all the tried-and-true recipes, and start creating new ones from ingredients we may have once overlooked.
Where Have All The Good Soups Gone?
When it comes to the ‘soup course’ of any great menu, it seems that course has often been removed from the menu.
It used to be that soup recipes were carefully planned as the first course to a meal, giving special attention to ‘in season’ items, or special products of a given area; such as Oysters in the winter and Crabs in the summer are to my area along the Chesapeake Bay.
If a really good clear broth, or consume was desired, you wanted to know that it was long simmered from seafood bones or shell, beef, chicken or lamb bones for a great bone broth based consume.Â
But, life seems changed, in a hurry, and a great soup requires time to simmer and develop flavors.
I think it’s time we bring this aspect of great dining back to the table.
- Cold Greek Cucumber Soup – a refreshing cold soup for hot weather
- Black or White Bean Soups – with or without meat, makes for a complete meal
- Ginger Carrot Red Lentil Soup – loaded with nutrients and perfect for meatless meals
In fact, my professional chef son Omar Daumit once said, if he were ever to open his own restaurant, it would be Simply Soups.
“Soups are not simple and often mark the abilities of a great chef to be able to impart layers of flavor into a bowl of hot water,” he said!
How To Make Asparagus Ends Soup
While I can promise you that this soup is just as easy to make as it is delicious to eat, there is one aspect that might test your patience.
Placing all the ingredients into a large saucepan or soup pot to boil away without any effort on your part is easy.
Extracting the essence, will require a moment of your patience.
From a huge heap of woody asparagus ends, boiled for about 30-minutes, comes the delicate asparagus essence of the plant.
How To Express The Asparagus Essence
However, we must press that essence out from the plant, making sure to extract as much as possible of its flavor and nutritional properties.
While I have used a fine sieve strainer and the back of a spoon, I find owning a Chinois Set, a hard stainless steel sieve with small holes and a wooden pestle, makes the job easier.
Once the essence is extracted from the asparagus and garlic, placed back into the broth, it can be served right away or stored in an airtight container in the freezer, for future servings.
If using heavy cream, coconut cream or a dollop of mascarpone or sour cream, this is added just before serving.
Dirt To Table
Such a refined soup, you will wonder why you ever threw the end pieces away. It’s beautiful garden grown veggies, like these asparagus, that inspired my book Dirt to Dish.
Once I learned how easy it is to grow everyday vegetables in pots on my deck or a designated section of my garden, I became hooked on growing whatever I could to cook with.
Remember one thing; the stalk of the asparagus, the hard woody end we throw away, is what grows in the dirt and is often where the most nutrients come from, not the delicate tips!
Equipment Needed
- Medium large soup pot with a lid
- Chinois set or fine sieve strainer with a wooden spoon, either will work however a chinois is a wonderful tool in the kitchen as it crushes all the bits against the holes, forcing every bit of liquid out for use.
- Food processor, blender or immersion blender to liquify all the chunks, making it easier to press through a strainer.
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons which you probably already have.
Ingredients Needed
- Asparagus ends – you know, those woody ends you usually cut off and toss away, simply peel and use those in this luscious soup.
- Garlic – either fresh raw garlic, with its hint of heat, or roasted garlic with its slightly nutty flavor.
- Broth or hot liquid – a vegetable broth or other favored stock is used however the flavors in this soup stand on their own, so perhaps just hot water is enough for you.
- Olive oil or unsalted butter – olive oil in keeping with a plant based oil or butter for a cream based fat.
- Fresh herbs, basil is perfect for the flavors in this soup, though fresh marjoram adds a little more intensity to the flavor.
- Salt – to your taste, either a kosher coarse salt or a slightly smoky salt for another layer of flavor.
- White wine (optional) – brings the acidity to the broth, though a squeeze of lime juice can be used instead.
- Mascarpone or sour cream (optional) – just a dollop on top the soup when served is you like, or even a delicious dollop of Almond cheese, in keeping with a completely plant based and very healthy soup.
Garlic Has Many Flavors
Who knew that you could take the strong, sometimes hot flavor of garlic and give it a gentle nutty flavor! Roasting garlic, with herbs and a little olive oil, give garlic a gentle yet rich flavor.
However you like your garlic, know that it brings a deeper flavor to any light vegetable based soup, not to mention its rich natural oil enhancing to yet a deeper flavor.
Asparagus Ends and Garlic Soup
Equipment
- Food processor Blender or immersion blender will work too
- Chinois set or fine sieve strainer
- Medium large soup pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 lb Asparagus stalks
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 1 quart Hot liquids or Chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Olive oil or unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup White wine (optional)
- 2 tbsp Mascarpone or heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat bring the vegetable stock, or liquid of choice to a low boil. Drop in the asparagus trimmings, herbs, wine if using, garlic, olive oil or butter and one teaspoon salt at a time and taste before adding more. Put a lid on, turn down to low and simmer for 30-minutes. Cool.
- Transfer the solid pieces of the mixture to a food processor or regular blender and puree until the mixture is as creamy as possible.Â
- With a fine mesh strainer over the heavy soup pot of liquid, strain the asparagus pulp, pressing with the back of a spoon to release all of the asparagus flavor and creamy substance that has cooked down from the woody asparagus.Â
- Reheat when ready to serve and add a small dollop of mascarpone or drizzle of cream to each bowl when serving.Â
- The same cooking method as above can be done in a pressure cooker or instant pot.Â
- An immersion blender can be used while the asparagus ends are in the soup pot, but needs to be strained once pureed.Â
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I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.