This spring, asparagus soup was created for Holmes Place magazine, which has an ongoing concept of seasonal ‘superfoods’ throughout the year.
Asparagus spears make a deeply fresh, light, vibrant green, cleansing soup that tastes like Spring. It has a sweet, bitter, and mildly pungent flavour. The lemon supports a gentle cleanse, and the dill stimulates the digestive juices, helping the bowel’s movement. At the same time, asparagus promotes circulation to the kidneys and provides a good dose of vitamins, especially vitamin K. Adding avocado gives this soup a creamy, rich texture and a healthy serving of good fats, aiding in the absorption of nutrients. A drizzling of ghee when serving provides a grounding sattvic quality.
tips
- Asparagus has a short season, and it is worth buying the thinner spears rather than the ‘jumbo’ spears, whose flavour tends to be disappointingly bland.
- When buying asparagus, carefully examine the cut ends to ensure they are not dried out.
- Avoid cooking in aluminium pans, as they can taint the flavour.
- Once harvested, this vegetable quickly loses its sweetness. So buy locally, as the produce shipped from overseas is disappointing.
simple spring asparagus soup
Once the weather warms up, this soup can be served chilled. Season to taste after it’s completely cool.
preparation 15 minutes
serves 3 – 4
ingredients
500 grams/2 bunches asparagus spears
1 medium fennel bulb
2 Tbsp olive oil/ghee
1 avocado
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
zest from half a lemon, plus more for garnishing
2 cups boiling water
1 tsp rock salt, more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
preparation
- Wash the asparagus, break off and discard the woody ends from the base of the stalks – chop into 1-inch pieces. Remove the tougher outer layer of the fennel, then chop into small pieces.
- In a medium, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil or ghee. Add the chopped fennel and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and sauté until tender.
- Turn off the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a blender with the avocado, dill, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and boiling water—puree until completely smooth, creamy, and velvety.
- Taste and season with more salt, pepper or lemon, as needed.
serve immediately
Garnished with thin slices of avocado, lemon zest, extra dill, a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper and drizzle with melted ghee.
If not serving immediately, reheat over a low flame when needed.
Goodness shared from Stacey
