A wonderful spring soup of fresh asparagus, chicken broth and potatoes with a hint of cream.
Spring is finally here in Denver — just in time to post my mom’s Asparagus Vichyssoise recipe with fresh spring asparagus! Asparagus grows wild in Colorado along the irrigation ditches near my aunt and uncle’s orchard on the Western Slope. My uncle told me that the pickers that came in to pick fruit started planting it along the ditches years ago. Fresh asparagus is the best.
I like this recipe because it doesn’t use a lot of cream or milk, but it still tastes rich. The original French recipes use a lot of cream and leeks in Vichyssoise. Myra always used what she had around, so this recipe uses yellow onions. You can substitute leeks for the onions if you like.
I was a little wary of pureeing an entire pound of asparagus in my food processor, but it worked great! I didn’t have to worry about the ends being fibrous, because you cook the puree, and then blend it again. I used my homemade chicken broth and Yukon gold potatoes. With a recipe this simple, better ingredients make a better soup. If you use salted butter or margarine, you may not need the ½ teaspoon of salt at the end. Taste your soup before you add the salt.
I sprinkled fresh chives on the top before serving because they are up in my herb garden. This soup tastes great warm too, so if the spring weather temps go down, just heat up your soup!
Asparagus Vichyssoise
Equipment
- 1 four quart soup pot
- 1 food processor
- 1 two cup measuring cup
- 1 hand blender
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 TBLS butter or margarine
- 3 or 4 potatoes, sliced thin (about 1 pound) I like Yukon Gold
- 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 TBLS chicken base
- 1 lb. fresh asparagus, pureed
- 1/2 cup cream or milk
- 1/2 teas. Pepper
- 1/2 teas. salt (if needed)
Instructions
- Sweat the onions: with the heat on medium, melt the butter or margarine, add the chopped onion. Sauté until the onions are soft, not browned, 7 to 10 minutes.Add the potatoes, the chicken broth and chicken base.Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft (5 to 7 minutes).
- Puree the asparagus in the food processor until very fine, scraping down the sides once or twice. When the potatoes are soft, add the asparagus and bring back to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Using your hand blender, add the cream or milk and the black pepper. Puree until smooth. Check to see if you need to add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water or milk. If you don't have a hand blender you can puree in the food processor after it cools. Be careful! If the soup is too hot, it will explode!
- Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Leave a Reply