Asparagus & Chervil Spring Soup
This gorgeous soft green colour is from fresh spring asparagus that is cooked very briefly to retain the natural colour. It is such a treat to enjoy Asparagus at the start of spring in the silky soup, with touch of chervil.
Ingredients½ onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped. 2 tablespoons of chervil chopped, or 4 sprigs of thyme 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced (100g approximately) 2 bunches or 450g fresh asparagus, tough ends snapped off 1.2 litre water ¼ teaspoon salt Whipped cream to serve Homemade croutons to serve MethodStep 1
Take a deep saucepan, turn to medium heat and add butter. Add onion to saucepan and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add chervil or thyme and diced potato. Toss the herbs and potatoes to cook for another minute over the heat. Add water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Step 2 Trim the heads off the asparagus then reserve to garnish the soup with. Finely slice the asparagus and add to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes only. Step 3 Strain the soup into a colander, which is placed over a bowl to collect cooking liquid. Put the hot vegetables into the bowl of a blender, puree well. Add liquid as needed. Put a sieve over the saucepan and strain the soup into the saucepan to remove the fine grainy texture of asparagus. Use a ladle to push the soup mix through the sieve. You will be left with a small ladle full of grainy pulp. Step 4 Return the soup to the sauce pan and bring to simmering point. Add extra liquid as needed to get the correct consistency of soup. Test the soup and adjust seasoning by adding extra salt and ground pepper as needed. Pour boiling water over the asparagus tips and leave for 1 minute. Drain. Serve the soup into shallow bowls and top with a little whipped cream. Sprinkle in some croutons then arrange a few asparagus pears on top. Chopped chervil is a lovely addition to the flavour also. |
Hands-on Time: 30 minutes | Cooking time:45 minutes
Serves 4 Credit: Taste Magazine Tip: Soup bowls, plates and spoons from Briscoe's Wairau Park, Table of Laminate Floor boards in Arctic Oak supplied by GD Woodhaus Glenfield. Note:
To make croutons, you can use the crusts of bakery loaves, or simply slice some bread into thick slices and then into cubes. Add to an oven proof metal tray. Drizzle over some olive oil and a few dots of butter. Sprinkle with salt. Place into a medium oven for about 8 minutes – tossing after a few minutes to ensure they cook evenly. You may also make these on a stove top, just cook in a fry pan over medium heat and toss well or use tongs to turn over. Keep in a sealed container or jar to retain dryness. |
