Chilled Asparagus Soup

Chilled Asparagus Soup. Sounds so very posh, doesn't it? One would never know that I whipped up a batch of this velvety rich pottage for medicinal purposes. Hubby came home from dental surgery with the prescription to eat cold, soft foods for a few days. How many smoothies and bowls of ice cream can a person eat? Especially one that prefers savory to sweet. Not many. So off I went to the market to find something nutritious to create. I came home with two gorgeous bunches of asparagus plus all of the fixings that became a delicious soup in less than an hour, prep included. Add an hour to chill and by dinner time the healing process had begun.

Now, if you prefer to eat this hot from the stove, it's just as delicious. Or warm. Or room temperature. Pureed vegetable soups of all kinds are so very versatile. And quick to prepare.

Here are some pro tips:

Chilled Asparagus SoupMakes about 2 quarts of soup

2 T vegan butter1 T neutral oil such as grapeseed or mild olive oil2 medium large leeks2 cloves chopped garlic2 bunches asparagus (about 2 1/2 pounds)1 cup peeled and diced russet potato (about half of a potato)5 cups vegetable stock/brothSalt and pepper to taste4 sprigs fresh thyme1 tsp fresh lemon juice2/3 cup vegan sour cream at room temperatureSnipped chives for topping

You will only be using the white and light green part of the leeks. To prep the leeks cut off the green bottom until it is very light green. Compost the dark green part or use in a vegetable stock. Cut the hairy top off of the leek and discard. Remove the outer layer of the leeks if they seem very fibrous. Make a slit down the middle of the remaining leeks and rinse out the under cold running water. Dry well. Chop up the leeks. You should have about a cup and a half.

To prep the asparagus, rinse in cold water and dry. Cut off the woody ends. Cut the asparagus into one inch pieces. I got 8+ cups from these 2 bunches.

Prep your garlic and potato.

Okay onto making the soup.

Melt butter and oil in a large stockpot (I used a 6 qt pot) over medium heat until just shimmering. Lower heat and add the leeks. Sweat the leeks until softened and translucent about 5 minutes, Stirring up occasionally.

Add the minced garlic and sauté 30 more seconds stirring up, making sure not to the brown the garlic.

Add the asparagus and potato and stir up, coating all of the vegetables with the leek mixture.

Add the veggie stock and thyme springs and bring to a boil, then immediately turn down the heat to a gentle rolling simmer. Make sure to stir up the soup. Cover with a lid leaving a bit of a vent and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are soft. Stir up occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let cool about 10-15 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs before blending.

If using an immersion blender, puree until almost smooth, in the pot. Add the lemon and sour cream and puree until velvety smooth or to your liking. Taste again for seasoning.

If using a food processor or blender, transfer all of the soup to another container and then puree in batches, adding lemon and sour cream to one of the batches. Return all of the soup to the pot to stir up and incorporate the sour cream/lemon juice batch into the entire soup.

Taste for seasoning.

If serving hot, gently reheat and serve immediately in bowls with the snipped chives or toppings of choice.

If serving chilled, let the soup cool completely in the pot before transferring to a lidded container. Refrigerate at least an hour for chilled soup. Serve in bowls topped with the snipped chives or toppings of choice.

Enjoy!

Refrigerate leftovers.

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