Asparagus And Spinach Soup With Chives Recipes

Steps:

• Place the asparagus in a medium saucepan and cover with the broth. Heat to boiling over high heat; reduce and simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the broth. Let the asparagus cool, then cut off the tips and set aside. Coarsely chop the stems and set aside. Add the spinach to the chicken stock or broth and cook 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and when it's cool enough to handle, coarsely chop into slender strips; reserve the broth. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Add the chives and saute until wilted. Stir in the asparagus stems, cooked spinach, and cloves. Cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes,or until the asparagus is tender; add the reserved broth. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the cream until the mixture is smooth. Whisk this into the broth and vegetable mixture, then heat to boiling, reduce the heat and simmer gently until the mixture thickens; remove from the heat. Cool the mixture slightly and puree it in a blender or food processor in 2 batches (be careful; hot liquid will expand). Return puree to the saucepan; reheat over low heat. Season with salt and white pepper and stir in the asparagus tips. To serve, ladle the soup into each bowl and garnish each with a dab of sour cream and a chives stem.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, sweat the pancetta with the olive oil until crispy and fully rendered, 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, shallots and garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Once the aromatics are soft, about 5 minutes, add the stock, bread and tarragon. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the asparagus and spinach. Simmer until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer the contents to a blender, and make sure you've added enough stock to achieve the desired consistency. Blend the soup and season with the lemon juice. Adjust the salt and pepper as necessary. If available, strain through a fine mesh strainer. This soup can be served hot or chilled.
• Serve with the crispy pancetta, chopped chives and a dollop of creme fraiche. If serving cold, additional chicken stock may be necessary to make sure the consistency is correct.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the soup: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, bring the oil to medium heat. Add the shallot and salt and pepper to taste. Sweat until translucent, about 1 minute, being careful not to brown. Add the asparagus to the pot and sweat until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and sweat another minute. Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pot. Add 5 cups water and continue simmering until crisp-tender, another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Working in batches (and carefully as the liquid will be hot), puree the soup until smooth in a blender. In the last batch, add the baby spinach and puree; this will give the soup a vibrant green color. Strain back into the pot through a fine mesh sieve. Return to a simmer until slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• For the Parmesan breadcrumbs: While the soup simmers, pulse the bread in a food processor until you have very coarse crumbs. Once processed, transfer the breadcrumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Toss with the thyme. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Using a grater, finely grate a few tablespoons of Parmesan over the breadcrumbs. Place into the oven and bake until golden and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
• To serve: Ladle the soup into shallow serving bowls. Sprinkle evenly with a few teaspoons of Parmesan breadcrumbs and top with a dollop of creme fraiche. Garnish with chopped chives, cilantro leaves, a squeeze of a lime wedge and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan until foaming. Fry the asparagus tips for a few mins to soften. Remove and set aside.
• Add the shallots, asparagus stalks and garlic, and cook for 5-10 mins until softened but still bright. Stir through the spinach, pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then blitz with a hand blender.
• Season generously and add hot water to loosen if needed. Ladle into bowls and scatter the asparagus tips over each. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with sourdough bread, if you like.

Steps:

• Place the onion in a heavy three- quart saucepan. Stir in the oil, cover tightly and cook over low heat 10 minutes, until the onion is soft but not brown.
• Stir in the asparagus, celery and potato, cook for about a minute, then add the stock, wine and dill. Simmer, partly covered, about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.
• Allow the mixture to cool briefly, then puree in a blender or a food processor. You may have to do this in two batches. Run the soup through a sieve into a clean saucepan.
• To serve, reheat the soup and season it to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon it into six warm soup plates. Float a few sprigs of dill on each as a garnish.