Cream of Asparagus Soup
Vegans, don’t be afraid of the title, this soup is 100% animal product free. That being said, it was a very rich and creamy soup without any addition of soy creamers or soy milk. I love asparagus because it has a lovely savory and bitter taste. It is a very difficult food to pair a wine to, but I find a nice herbal and mineral New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can work, they often have notes of fresh asparagus as well.
You will need a pressure cooker, OR you will have to cook this for a longer amount of time. Also, you will need a hand held blender, OR go through the trouble of transferring the soup to a blender.
Ingredients
500g of fresh asparagus (or the nice little pack you buy in the store already measures)
6 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into large cubes
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 liter of vegetarian broth
1 vegetarian bouillon cube
1 tbsp course sea salt
Splash of white wine
Directions
Put all of the ingredients into the pressure cooker. Slow cook on low pressure for about 1.5 hours. Release the pressure and open the pressure cooker. In the pot with handheld blender, blend all the ingredients until it makes a smooth creamy texture. If you need to add more water, do so, or if your soup is still quite watery, boil in the pot without adding pressure, just leave it open and let it reduce on a medium simmer, stirring regularly. I like mine very thick.
Pour in bowls and serve with a thick rustic bread.
For garnish, if you want to be fancy, put two roasted pieces of asparagus on top of the soup for each bowl.
You could also make this in a slow cooker, but I would reduce the amount of liquid as it does not reduce at all. When you get home after a long day on low on the slow cooker, you would blend it and either reduce the liquid with a medium simmer, or add more water. Make sure to check the salt for your own personal taste.
You could also make this in a slow cooker, but I would reduce the amount of liquid as it does not reduce at all. When you get home after a long day on low on the slow cooker, you would blend it and either reduce the liquid with a medium simmer, or add more water. Make sure to check the salt for your own personal taste.
Enjoy with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
I don’t have photos of the soup because honestly, “cream of…” soups don’t photograph well.
If you want to be crazy and add more flavor, try roasting the asparagus first. Check out my Asparagus Risotto recipe for directions on roasting.
