Asparagus Soup (Spargelsuppe) with Morels
Adapted from fantasticfungi.com, this recipe is delicious and super elegant, and doesn’t call for cream. An Austrian classic, it is perfect as asparagus and morels come into season! Delicious as a Vegan or Vegetarian first course or main dish, it is sure to please! Thanks to Eugenia Bone | New York City
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus - white or green
- 3 tbsp Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup minced white onion
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 20 or so small fresh or dried morels (if dried, rehydrate in cool water for 15 minutes, drain)
- splash of sherry
- 2 tbsp water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp dry white wine
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the lower ¾ of the asparagus, or break off the ends. Chop the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces, leaving the tips intact. Set the tips aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil in a medium size soup pot over a medium high heat. When the oil is heated add the onion and cook until the onion is soft, a few minutes. Add the asparagus (but not the tips) and continue cooking, stirring often, until the asparagus begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Don’t let anything get brown! Turn the heat down a bit if you need to. Add the stock, cover and cook at a bare bubble over a medium heat, for 30 to 35 minutes until the asparagus are very soft. Take the soup off the heat.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a medium skillet over a medium heat and add the morels. Cook the morels until they deflate and soften, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of sherry and the water and continue cooking until the morels are fork tender.
- Puree the asparagus soup in batches. Add the asparagus tips and return the soup to a medium heat. Cook gently until the asparagus tips are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add butter and the white wine and season to taste.
- Serve the soup with a share of the morels on top of each bowl. A little fresh chopped parsley is nice, or fresh chopped chives.
Notes
Fun fact: White asparagus are, to quote Cook’s Illustrated, “simply green asparagus that have never seen the light of day.” Soil is mounded over the asparagus as it grows, blocking the sun. As a result, the plant’s chlorophyll and its associated greenness never develop. White asparagus should be peeled as their skin is bitter, but underneath they are sweet and tender. They are a springtime treat, often expensive, and marvelous with the other treasure of the season, morels.