Saturday, April 5, 2008

Saturday

Cream of asparagus soup (recipe in the comments)
Whole wheat baguette
Irish cheese

Hot tea
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It's finally a new recipe - even with the decreased work this past week of cooking all super easy meals, I've been in withdrawal! Today was 60 degrees (or a bit above) and sunny here in MI - a totally blissful day. We went hiking with T and C (our dog) and had the first picnic of the season with the leftover trollop pasta from Thursday. What a glorious way to spend a Saturday! Tonight's dinner is a true spring meal - early asparagus (not from Michigan, sadly) becomes a lovely light soup with a bit of sharp cheese on the side for balance. We often make broiled or baked tomatoes (16 minutes at about 400) with this for color, which is also yummy. If you do that, spread some bread rounds with goat cheese and bake them for the last 8 minutes or so of the tomato cooking time. Too yummy! We're celebrating the whole amazing day with our first backyard fire (in our little firepit), opera, and cocktails session of the year. Aaaaahh, spring!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Asparagus, lemon zest
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: This soup saves great!

Reaction
J: "I think we'll eat this all season long."
M: "Even better than I remembered."

1 comment:

J said...

Cream of Asparagus Soup – M & J (inspired by Cooking Light)
Serves 3-4

1 lb asparagus, cut into small chunks
2 ½ cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
½ t fresh thyme, divided
1 bay leaf
4 garlic clove, crushed
1 T blended flour (like Wondra)
2 cups 1% milk
¼ t fresh ground nutmeg
2 t butter
½ t salt
½ t grated lemon rind
¼ t smoked salt, optional

Combine asparagus, broth, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic in a saucepan with high sides over medium-high heat. Do not use a large soup pot or the soup will spatter when you immersion blend it. Boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Immersion blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place flour in pan. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add puréed asparagus and ground nutmeg; stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, salt, and lemon.