Creamy Asparagus Pea Soup Recipes

CREAMY ASPARAGUS PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Trim off 1 in (2.5 cm) asparagus tips from stalks, reserving a couple of whole asparagus spears for garnish. In large pot of boiling water, blanch tips for 30 seconds and plunge into bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Carefully drain and set aside.
• Coarsely chop asparagus stalks and blanch in boiling water until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
• Trim root ends from green onions. Chop half the green onions. Reserve remaining trimmed onions.
• In 8 cup (2 L) saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil. Add chopped green onions and garlic and sauteu0301 until soft. Do not brown. If using fresh peas, add and stir together until peas are softened and bright green. Add a splash more olive oil if needed. If using thawed frozen peas, sauteu0301ing is not necessary. Transfer mixture, along with fresh sauteu0301ed peas or thawed frozen peas, to a high-speed blender. Add cooked asparagus tips, stalks, and stock. Whirl at high speed until smooth. Whirl in yogurt until creamy.
• Once smooth, return creamy mixture to clean saucepan. Gently heat, stirring until hot but not boiling. Cover and set aside.
• In frying pan, heat lemon-infused olive oil. Add remaining green onions and season with salt. Stir-fry until soft and lightly golden in places. Shave 2 remaining whole asparagus spears lengthwise and add, stirring gently just until bright green.
• To serve, ladle soup into warmed bowls. Top each with a couple sauteu0301ed green onions and strips of sauteu0301ed asparagus. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh mint and cilantro and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with a splash of extra lemon-infused olive oil if you wish.

30-MINUTE PEA AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Pour the stock into a 2 qt/2 L pot and set on the stove over high heat. (If you work quickly, cover the pot to boil even quicker.) Rinse the green onions, trim and chop them roughly, add them to the stock with the frozen peas, and bring to a boil.
• Rinse the asparagus spears, remove the tips and set aside. Roughly chop the stems (you can use the whole stem as it's all going to be pureed) and add them to the saucepan with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.
• Meanwhile, snip the bacon slices directly into a hot frying pan and fry until crisp and golden. Transfer these to a plate and set aside for garnish.
• If there is not enough bacon fat left in the pan for frying, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and heat. Cut the bread into small dice and fry for 2-3 minutes over high heat, turning frequently, until golden, then set aside to drain on kitchen paper (paper towel) for garnish.
• When the peas and asparagus are done, blend or process the soup to a puree. You can use a hand blender to blend the soup right in the pot. Just be sure to keep it pointing down and keep the entire head of the blender under the surface of the soup (to avoid spraying yourself with hot green liquid!).
• Add the reserved asparagus tips to the pea soup and simmer for 5 minutes, or until tender.
• Pour the soup into warmed serving bowls. Swirl a little whipped cream into each (we set a round of goat cheese on the surface of the soup, so it melted in a bit) and sprinkle with the crispy bacon pieces, croutons, and some freshly ground black pepper to serve.