Asparagus soup can be made using green, purple or white asparagus. Quality asparagus with firm spears and small, tightly packed heads is best. Cream-based soup is most common, with bacon and curry powder adding flavour. Chopped asparagus can also be added to other soups or stews.
Asparagus soup is a dish created using one of three types of edible asparagus as the main ingredient. Choosing quality asparagus and preparing it correctly leads to the best soup-making experience. The most common type is a cream-based soup that may include diced meat and spices for depth. You can even customize other standard soup recipes by adding chopped asparagus.
The three types of asparagus found in the markets are the green, purple and white varieties. Green is the most common and has the richest flavor, while white asparagus, usually canned or from specialty stores, has a milder flavor. Purple asparagus has a more fruity flavor and may not stack well with other types of asparagus soup.
Asparagus have long spears with budding heads. On quality asparagus, the spears will be firm and the heads will be small and tightly packed, as these are signs that the vegetable has not become overripe. The heads will need to be cut off before the asparagus is used, making the yield of one bunch much smaller than it initially appears. The heads can be placed in the cooking stock to infuse the asparagus soup with a woody flavor.
There are several ways to cook the vegetable for use in asparagus soup, with the best method depending on usage and personal preference. The stems can be steamed in a pot with a small amount of boiling water or boiled in a full pot. A faster method is to use the microwave, although it works best when the asparagus will have extra cooking time on the stove before the soup is served.
Creamy asparagus soup is the most common type since the juiciness of the asparagus won’t be overwhelmed by the cream. This process typically begins with cooking the chopped asparagus, and possibly some woody heads, in chicken stock until tender. The two are then blended together into a puree before the cream is added just before serving. Crumbled bacon and curry powder can be added to give the soup a more robust flavour.
Chopped asparagus can be used in any soup that calls for a heavy presence of vegetables, such as vegetable beef soup. Asparagus can be used solely as a vegetable to make it more like an asparagus soup. It can also be combined with other vegetables, such as corn and beans, to form a hearty stew.
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