contemporary meal – soup

continuing our progression through this illustrious meal, we move onto one of my favorite categories… the soup.  while given freedom to build a meal using any ingredients we choose seems like a dream come true, the challenge lies in selecting the freshest regional ingredients.  ..and so begins my journey through the world of asparagus.

why is it that usually the foods that taste the worst are the best for you? spinach, brussels sprouts, fish, and of course.. asparagus.  i’ve had a lot of this stuff growing up and i’m glad to say that i’ve learned to love all of them for different reasons, except asparagus.  maybe it’s the stringy texture, maybe it’s the way it makes your pee smell, maybe it’s the sulfuric smell it gives off.. but it’s probably a combination of all of these things that made me avoid it like a winter pageant filled with up-do poofs.  from a kids perspective, asparagus was as bad as the plague.

fast forward to six months ago, my parents had recently moved into their new house in bend which houses one of the greatest residential kitchens known to mankind (turns out the owner who originally built the house was a chef) and i was on a mission to prove to my dad that risotto could taste different than just creamy and mushy rice.  what better way to make it more accessible to him than by adding his favorite vegetable.. that’s right – asparagus.

i stole a couple of ideas from a culinary friend to help heighten the asparagus flavor and went to town.  the result was one of the best risottos that i’ve ever made.  creamy and smooth with hints of pepper and parmesan, and an undeniably sophisticated asparagus flavor… one that i couldn’t get out of my mind.  since that night, it’s been a whirlwind of using asparagus every chance i get learning how to draw the most from this wondrous plant… which leads us to the soup.

roasted asparagus and sweet onion soup

yield – 4 servings

8 – 10 stalks asparagus, snapped bases reserved
1 vidalia onion, roughly diced
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs bacon fat (or butter)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh thyme, minced
1/8 c dry white wine
6 c high quality chicken stock
1 1/2 c heavy cream
8 oz giant croutons (3/4″ – 1″)
1/4 c grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. snap the bases from the asparagus and reserve for later use. chop the spears into 3 pieces and toss with the onion, olive oil and salt and pepper.  spread over a sheet pan and roast until onions and asparagus just begins to brown.

2. meanwhile, bring stock to a simmer and add asparagus bases and simmer for 10 – 15 mins. fish out bases and discard, keeping stock on very low heat until needed.

3. in heavy bottomed sauce pot, heat bacon fat (or butter) and lightly sauté garlic for 1 minute and add roasted asparagus, onion and thyme.  sauté for 3 mins and deglaze with white wine.  add chicken stock and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. using an immersion blender or an upright blender, puree the mixture until smooth (you may need to do this in batches if you have a small blender). strain back into the pot using a fine strainer and bring back up to a simmer, adding the cream.  add salt and pepper as needed keeping in mind that adding the parmesan at the end will add additional saltiness to the soup.

5. place 2 oz of croutons in bottom of bowl, ladle soup over croutons and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.