Cream of asparagus soup is not only a fine delicacy, but also the best use for the trimmings and peelings of white asparagus that always accumulate during its preparation.
It is therefore ideal to store such leftovers in the refrigerator and then turn them into this soup. However, they need to be processed within a few days. Alternatively, you can make an asparagus broth and freeze it for later use.
If you don’t have such leftovers, you will need more asparagus for making this soup. As always, you will find the corresponding quantities at the end in the list of ingredients.
Peel the asparagus as described here and cut off the ends.
The rest of the asparagus stalks are cut into pieces of the size you find pleasant. The delicate heads are set aside separately.
All the trimmings and peelings are added to vegetable broth and a little white wine. It is gently seasoned with sugar, salt and pepper, we recommend white pepper here. Add a slice of lemon, then bring everything to the boil, put a lid on and simmer gently over medium heat for 20 minutes to create an asparagus broth. The lemon is removed halfway through so that it does not give off bitterness to the broth.
During this time, butter (or vegetable margarine) is melted in a second pot, also over medium heat. When the butter became liquid, add the same amount of flour.
Stir with a whisk until a homogeneous mass is formed – a roux. Then let this cool down.
The asparagus broth is poured through a fine sieve to remove all the peel and trimmings. It is then returned to the pot and brought to the boil again. Now the asparagus pieces that we cut at the beginning are cooked in it for 10 minutes, then the asparagus heads are also added, which only need 5 minutes.
Now combine this broth with the roux. You can sieve the asparagus pieces again and add them later, or leave them in the broth – but then you have to be very careful when stirring so that you don’t crush them unintentionally.
Add the stock to the roux in stages, about a third at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk. Initially, a thick mass is formed, but it liquefies with each further addition of stock.
No lumps will form if you follow this simple rule: Either the roux is hot and the stock is cold or vice versa. There are rare, justified exceptions like this one, but the basic rule for using roux always works.
Now add cream and season very gently with more (white) pepper, salt and nutmeg. The taste of the asparagus should always stay dominant.
The soup is then left to simmer on the lowest heat so that it maintains its temperature. An egg yolk is mixed with two tablespoons of milk and stirred into the soup, this process is called liaison, it provides the perfect silky texture at the end.
Once the soup has been bound with egg, it must not be allowed to boil, as the egg would curdle. However, it can be kept warm and carefully reheated without any problems.
Today we serve our cream of asparagus soup with North Sea shrimps and some fresh chervil. But it also tastes great without any additions.
Note: We are explaining the old, classic preparation here. The few dairy products found in it can easily be replaced by plant-based products and the liaison with egg can be skipped, so that a vegan preparation based on the same quantities is no problem at all.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients ( for 4 people):
500 g white asparagus and the peelings and sections from your last asparagus dish
or
700 g white asparagus
1 l vegetable stock
150 ml white wine
1 slice of lemon
A little salt, white pepper and sugar
40 g butter
40 g flour
250 ml cream
Nutmeg
Chervil or chives
