The Covered Dish - Asparagus Soup

I cannot recall how long it has been since I ran this easy and delightful asparagus soup. I do know asparagus prices are becoming very tempting at the grocery store and this light soup fits well into many scenarios. Ervin and I have a road trip coming up in a few weeks and I will often prepare a meal for the road. This soup would fit perfectly inside a thermos to enjoy with a BLT or turkey club sandwich! As you review the recipe below ponder switching this method out to a broccoli soup instead of asparagus, it should work perfectly. Speaking of broccoli, I purchased some ‘organic’ broccoli that was totally different than the usual broccoli. It would work well in a soup because of how tender the broccoli was.
I mentioned taking our meal on the road, I don’t always go out of my way to do this, but my body seems to do a great deal better when I do.
Also; we are leaving at 5pm on our upcoming trip and that means no stopping for a sit-down meal, which my husband, Ervin, really prefers.
This week we made one of our bigger splurges in life and purchased a very high end bed. Both of us are anxious to rest on a firmer more supportive bed. And...it came with a nice warranty. Ervin and I seem to go through mattresses faster than you can say, ‘Mother may I?’ For a while we also did this with vacuum cleaners. We’ve been married 27 years and I think we had gone through 4-5 vacuums. Watch, ours will probably break down next week!!! I’m sure many of you out there can relate with these issues.
This week I’m making a pecan pie for a dessert auction over in Cape Fair, MO, one of my favorite communities. Also; where our son, Phillip & wife Paige reside. Our sheriff, Doug Radar, is the guest auctioneer. Then there’s all the extra eggs I have on hand, time for a batch of breakfast burritos and egg salad for our lunches.
I was supposed to be at a big Family NASCAR event on Sunday, but I wasn’t feeling up to par, so Ervin had to go alone. I stayed home resting and doing laundry, telling myself Monday would be a better day!
Let’s set the recipe and get moving on a great week! Simply Yours, The Covered Dish.

Asparagus Soup
1 lb. tender asparagus, divided
3 tablespoons butter, divided
6 small green onions
1 1⁄2 tablespoons flour
2 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup milk
3⁄4 cup light cream, I use half and half
Chopped Parsley for garnish
Seasoning salt or salt & pepper to taste
Wash and trim the asparagus. Trim 1-2 inches off the bottoms up to where the stalk is very tender, discard bottom pieces. Take about 1-2 inch pieces from the top stalk and set aside. Chop remaining into one inch pieces and saute with the onion in 2 tablespoons of butter.
When tender sprinkle flour over the mixture, blending. Add stock, lemon juice and seasonings. Place lid on pot and cook for about 15 minutes, allow to cool so you can put the mixture into the blender.
After blending the asparagus mixture smooth put into a saucepan and begin to reheat, slowly add the milk, do not allow to boil.
Use the skillet implemented at the beginning to cook the finely chopped tips in the 1 tablespoon of butter. Slowly add the half and half to the saucepan and once tips are tender add to the saucepan to complete the recipe. Serve with fresh parsley over the top. ‘If’ I were to add any cheese to this it would only be a light amount of Parmesan.
The recipe was written to be a light spring soup, not a heavy main course entree. Yields about 3 1⁄2 cups of soup.
Options:
Use broccoli instead of asparagus, a small amount of garlic minced.
Too much garlic and the asparagus flavor gets canceled. The addition of a ‘tad’ of cheese is also another option.
This recipe was first written in 2009. It was well received when I served it at the SDC culinary school. Enjoy-