Asparagus in season? This soup should be on the menu.
Asparagus (Spargel) season is a celebration in Germany. People here are crazy about it and these green and white stalks are seen everywhere from mid April until June. Seeing it all around, I always felt the urge to buy it too but was clueless about what to cook with it until I discovered this soup. Now this asparagus and pea soup is the first things that comes to my mind whenever I see a green asparagus.
Where to Buy Asparagus From?
When in season, you will find asparagus being sold at every supermarket. It is even sold at small stalls near fields or farmer’s market. I would recommend you to buy as regional as possible so to get the maximum nutrients. Asparagus could be expensive but if you buy from discount stores (like Aldi, Lidl or Netto), you can find decent quality and affordable prices.
White Asparagus vs. Green Asparagus
The difference between the two is in their growing methods. While white asparagus is grown in a dark environment, either underground or covered, the green version gets to soak up all the sunlight. Covering the white asparagus prevents it from producing chlorophyll, the naturally occurring chemical that turns the vegetable green.
While the while asparagus is more delicate in flavor, the green one wins on nutrients. Green asparagus is higher in fiber, vitamins K and A making it a more nutritious choice.
This soup uses green asparagus which is more readily available at stores and is more affordable as compared to the white variety.
How to Prepare Green Asparagus?
- Wash the asparagus thoroughly to remove any dirt.
- Dry using a kitchen towel.
- . Trim about an inch from the lower ends. If the spear feels too hard to cut, you will need to trim off more than an inch to get rid of the hard part.
- Peel the bottom two thirds of the remaining spear. Now the asparagus is ready to be cooked as you like it.
Ingredients at a Glance
Notes on Ingredients:
- You can use frozen or fresh green peas. Both will give you the same results. No need to thaw beforehand if using frozen ones.
- I highly recommend using freshly crushed black pepper which gives so much more flavor and aroma as compared to packed ground black pepper.
- Homemade vegetable stock will give you the best results.
- You can make the soup vegan simply by substituting butter and cream for vegan butter and cream or skipping these altogether.
Watch the video instructions to easily follow the recipe
Creamy Asparagus and Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 400 grams green asparagus
- 1 white onion
- 2 big cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter (substitute: vegan butter)
- 1 tsp salt (adjust according to how salty your veg stock is)
- ¼ tsp freshly crushed black pepper
- 150 grams (1 cup) green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 400 ml vegetable stock (I prefer using homemade)
- 100 grams whipping cream (substitute: vegan cream)
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and pat dry the asparagus. Chop off 2 cm from the bottom part. If it's too hard when you are chopping it off, it means you need to chop off more than an inch. Get rid of the harder bottom part, then chop off the heads (about 4-5 cm). Peel off the remaining middle stalks and roughly slice. Split cut the head part lengthwise. Dice the onion and finely chop the garlic. Keep aside.
Cooking
- Put a pot on medium heat and add olive oil and butter.
- Once hot, add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes on medium.
- Add the sliced (middle) part of asparagus (not the heads) and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts to get browned.
- Add salt and pepper, green peas and vegetable stock. Scrape off the bottom with a spatula to release the flavourful brown bits. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, put a skillet on medium heat and add a teaspoon of olive oil into it. Once hot, add the asparagus heads and season with some salt and pepper. Sear on both side for 3 minutes, then take off heat and reserve for garnishing later.
- Turn off heat of the soup pot. Blend the veggies into a smooth mixture either using a stab mixer or a blender.
- Add the whipping cream and turn heat on low. Mix and cook just until combined (about 1 minute). Switch off heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Add the seared asparagus heads on top and serve.