Saturday, June 10, 2006
Cream of Asparagus Soup
The salad ingredients are almost gone and the summer
seems never ending. It is absolutely wonderful, but does put me on the spot for dinners. I'm still trying to empty out the fridge and freezer for a summertime defrosting and had kind of earmarked bangers and mash for dinner today. But the mere thought of steaming mash and hot gravy made us sweat, so I had to find a quick alternative.I found a bottle of asparagus water in the freezer that I had saved when my mum was here. I know this may sound strange, but there are a few cooking juices well worth freezing. Asparagus, mussels and clams for example are highly seasonal and freezing the liquid left over after cooking or steaming them is a good way of preserving their flavours for later. Just strain them through a sieve and freeze them in small plastic bottles and you have a good ready-made base for sauces and soups.
Today, I made use of such a stash along with a few other bits and pieces from the fridge to make a light summery, yet filling, cream of asparagus soup with leeks and salami.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 young leek, cleaned and sliced
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
2cm plain salami (not flavoured with such spices as paprika), cut into small cubes
2 tbsp butter
1½ tbsp flour
about 700ml asparagus water (you can use water if you don't have asparagus water, but the flavour of the soup will be less intense)
4 to 5 cooked white asparagus spears (you can use canned, but again, you will lose out on flavour), roughly chopped
enough vegetable stock granules for 700ml of liquid
2 tbsp thick cream
salt and pepper to taste
chopped chives to serve
For the leek and salami mixture heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat. Add the leeks and fry until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for a minute. Increase the heat to medium and add the salami. Fry until the salami has released most of the fat and is starting to go crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle over the flower and fry, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a paste. Slowly pour in the water, whipping the mixture with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to the boil and add the stock granules and asparagus. Purée the soup until smooth. Return to the pan and bring back to the boil. Simmer until thickened (if it is not quite thick already). Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Do not allow the soup to boil anymore.
Divide the leek and salami mixture between two bowls and pour over the soup. Scatter with chopped chives and serve with crusty white bread.
Christine at 9:53 pm
