Cream of Asparagus Soup

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.

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.

http://thecompassionatehedonist1.blogspot.com/2009/03/risotto-agli-aspargi-al-forno.html

Minestrone di fagioli

Minestrone di Fagioli

Beans, beans the magical fruit...

A vegan's best friend is the magical bean. From the bean we get much needed nutrition, including a way to combine with grains to make a complete protein. I personally couldn't live without my pressure cooker. I cook all my broths, beans, soups, rice, and grains with the pressure cooker. It is a money and time saver because in about 2 hours, dry beans can be made into a delicious and simple meal. The following recipe is for a pressure cooker, but you could easily substitute canned beans if you don't have a pressure cooker, or use a slow cooker after you have fried the onions in the olive oil.

Ingredients

1 cup of dried OR two cans Borlotti beans

1 cup of a small soup pasta, I use Ditalini Rigati Grandi

1 small yellow onion sliced lengthwise

2 dried Calabrian red peppers

1 tbsp of double concentrate

1/2 cup olive oil

splash of white wine

1-8 cups of water (depends on use of dry beans)

Salt to taste (will need at least 1/2 tbsp if using dry beans)

In this recipe I will refer to use of pressure cooker, but if you are not using one, then use a medium sized pot, canned beans, and only 2 cups of water.

Directions

In pressure cooker pot, put olive oil, splash of wine, onion, and red peppers on medium heat until onions become translucent. Remove onions and peppers when onions become translucent. Add concentrated tomato paste and one cup of water and stir. Stir in the beans and let simmer on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Then add 5 cups of cold water, salt, and the seal the pressure cooker. I usually will simmer on high heat until pressure builds one time, and then I put the pot on the smallest burner and simmer on low heat for 2 hours, but you should follow the directions of your pressure cooker as every brand is different.

After 2 hours, I open the pot and make sure the beans are very soft, and taste the soup if the salt is adequate, if not, I salt to taste. Stir soup lightly on medium heat, and mash mixture with a masher, and stir again. Add 2 more cups of water and bring to a boil. When soup comes to a boil, add small pasta. Stir while the pasta cooks until al dente. When the pasta is ready, the soup is ready. This makes enough for 4 servings.