Three Onion Asparagus Soup Recipes

FRENCH THREE ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil together in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots and leek, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and cover. Cook, without stirring until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Uncover, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are a rich brown color and well caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes. (If the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan or burn add about a 1 tablespoon water at a time.) Meanwhile, tie the reserved leek top with the thyme and rosemary using a piece of kitchen twine.
• Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook, stirring, to cook out the raw flour taste, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and 2 cups water, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan; add the herb bundle. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire and remove from the heat. Discard the herb bundle, stir in the sherry and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the broiler. Divide the soup between 4 (16-ounce) oven proof bowls or ramekins and arrange them on a baking sheet. Top each bowl evenly with 2 baguette slices and top with the cheese. Put under the broiler until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the chives and serve.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP IN MINI TEACUPS

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove and throw away the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the spinach to the soup and let wilt for about 1 minute. In batches, pour the soup into a blender and blend on high until smooth. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender and puree in the pot.) Stir well before transferring to 12 small teacups and serve hot.

PURéE OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients for the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the leek, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook gently for five minutes, stirring often, until the onion and leek have softened. Add the garlic, stir together for a minute, then add the potatoes, broth, bouquet garni and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus (not the 12 spears), and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and remove the bouquet garni.
• Puree the soup with a hand blender or, working in 1-1/2 cup batches, ladle the soup into a blender. Place a towel over the blender, and pull it down tightly to prevent splashing. Blend each batch, then (whether you pureed the soup in the pot or in a blender) put through a medium strainer, pushing it through with the bottom of your ladle or with a spatula. Return to the pot. Heat through, and add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• Meanwhile, steam the 12 asparagus spears for four minutes, until just tender. Refresh with cold water, then slice about 3/4 inch thick.
• Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish each serving with a handful of sliced asparagus, sprinkle with tarragon and serve.

GARLIC ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Cook and stir garlic and green onions in saucepan until garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes.
• Cook and stir asparagus with garlic and green onions until slightly softened, about 2 more minutes.
• Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Pour soup into blender, filling no more than halfway full. Cover with a lid. Carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth.
• Transfer soup back to saucepan and reheat. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP (CRèME D'ASPERGES)

Steps:

• Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish.
• Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in crème fraîche, then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter.
• Add lemon juice and garnish with asparagus tips.

BAKED ASPARAGUS WITH CHEESY ONION TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Snip the white ends off of the asparagus so that all of the stalks are roughly the same length. Lay the stalks on a baking sheet so that they are all touching.
• Drizzle asparagus stalks with olive oil. Shake the onion soup mix packet to mix up any settled ingredients; sprinkle over asparagus.
• Bake in the preheated oven until softened and lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven; sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the asparagus. Continue baking until cheese is melted and starting to brown, about 5 minutes more.

CREAMY FRESH ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and onion; cook and stir 10-12 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender., Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 6-8 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Remove soup from heat; cool slightly. Stir in lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper., Process in batches in a blender until smooth. Serve with yogurt and lemon zest.

THREE LITTLE ASPARAGUS SOUPS FOR SPRING

Steps:

• Peel 4 asparagus stalks and slice the remainder crosswise into 1-inch pieces. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the sliced asparagus and 2 of the peeled stalks. Saute 5 minutes or until soft.
• Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and add half-and-half. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the 2 stalks. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the soup through a coarse sieve set over a large bowl, pressing the asparagus through with the back of a large spoon. Scrape the pulp into the soup, whisk and refrigerate 1/3 of it.
• Cut the 2 cooked asparagus stalks into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside. Slice the 2 raw asparagus stalks into 1 1/2- by- 1/8-inch julienne. Set aside.
• For a risotto quenelle garnish, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water, 1/3 cup at a time, adding more as water is absorbed, cooking risotto about 10 minutes in all. Add the diced asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice is al dente. Spread risotto on a plate to cool.
• Place the flour, egg and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Shape the rice into quenelles (small footballs) with 2 teaspoons, lightly roll in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.
• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a small pot to 375 degrees and fry the risotto quenelles until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• To serve, remove the cold soup from the refrigerator and remove any solidified butter to larger portion of soup. Heat the unrefrigerated soup till hot and pour into 12 small bowls, adding the reserved asparagus strands to 6 and the quenelles to 6. Pour the cold soup into 6 small bowls, adding the chopped raw salmon to each. Serve each diner with 3 different soups.

ASPARAGUS-THREE ONION SOUP WITH CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large deep-sided nonreactive pot over medium heat.
• Add shallot and garlic (if using) and leeks and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add asparagus and saute 2 minutes.
• Add broth and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Bring to simmer, reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
• Using hand held blender, puree soup in pot. Alternately, working in batches, puree soup in food processor, blender, or food mill. Return soup to same pot.
• Stir in 1 cup creme fraiche.
• Season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper.
• If serving immediately, reheat soup a few minutes if necessary.
• Soup can be prepared 2 days ahead; just cool, cover and refrigerate and then stir over medium heat until heated through before serving.
• To serve, ladle soup into 8 soup bowls. Garnish each with a dollop of creme fraiche. Sprinkle with chives.

THREE ONION-ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
• Stir in the scallions and leek and cook about 8 minutes, until very soft, stirring often.
• Add the asparagus, potatoes and stock and increase the heat to high.
• When the soup reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender until very smooth.
• Return the soup to a clean pot.
• To serve, reheat the soup to a simmer just before ladling and season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives and radishes.