Creamed Asparagus Soup With Buttermilk and Garlic Chip Garnish
A great spring recipe from “The Farmers Dinner Cookbook”
I have so many fond memories of the farms we work with for the Farmers Dinner and now our new restaurant, Greenleaf. One of my favorite recollections is wandering through the asparagus patch at Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell, Massachusetts, just a block from Hollis on Route 122. In late April, before their farm stand opens for the season, asparagus is sold directly across the street from the asparagus patch. After purchasing a firm and fragrant bundle of asparagus, I walk to the patch and break off a fresh spear, just poking up from the ground. The taste of fresh-picked asparagus is what I want to replicate in a recipe. This soup is my nod to those late April and early May days.
Serving Size: 4-6
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
2 bunches of asparagus
4 tablespoons of butter
½ cup of buttermilk
1 small onion
4 cups chicken stock
For garnish:
4 cloves of garlic (sliced thin on a mandolin)
2 radishes, sliced thin
Mint sprigs
Directions:
In a medium-size sauce pan, melt the butter and add onions.
Sauté onions over medium heat until they turn soft and pale in color, about 6 minutes.
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Cut off the asparagus tips and place them to the side.
Break off the white woody ends of the asparagus and discard them.
Cut the remaining middle of the asparagus stalks into 2-inch segments and place them in the saucepan with chicken stock and cooked onions.
Cook the asparagus mixture on medium heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring oil to 350 degrees in a small sauté pan.
Once the oil reaches temp, place the sliced garlic in the oil.
Cook until the garlic is golden brown, being careful not to scorch it.
Remove the garlic and drain on a paper towel.
In a small pot, bring salted water to a boil. Place the asparagus tips in the boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove tips and drain.
After 20 minutes of simmering, blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
Salt the soup to taste.
When you serve the soup, drizzle a small amount of buttermilk around the soup and garnish with asparagus tips, fresh-ground pepper, radish slices, mint leaves and the garlic chips.
