Really Good Asparagus-Dill-Lemon Soup

Mmmm, I love the asparagus. And this is an excellent asparagus soup recipe, based on one from Sara Moulton. Originally, the creaminess/thickening came from eggs — I used tofu instead. Again, tofu is the best thing ever for making soups creamy.

Huh, I think that’s all I have to say about the soup. Just make some and you too will know how good it is. On an unrelated note, I will add that aside from asparagus, I also love sleep.

Asparagus-Dill-Lemon Soup
1.5 lb asparagus
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium leek, white part coarsely chopped and washed well
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh dill, minced
1/2 cup soft tofu
Optionoal: more fresh dill and some lemon zest for garnish

Trim the ends off the asparagus but reserve the ends. In a saucepan combine the asparagus trimmings with the chicken stock, bring to a boil, remove from heat and allow stock to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain stock and reserve.

Cut the trimmed asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over moderate heat and cook the leeks, onion and celery, seasoned with salt and pepper, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the 1-inch asparagus pieces and stir to combine. Add the infused stock and bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 8 to 10 minutes until asparagus is tender.

In a blender puree the soup, in batches, until smooth. Add the tofu, lemon and dill into the batches of the soup as you blend.

Return pureed soup to large pot and reheat. Taste and adjust any seasonings. You can actually serve hot, room temperature or cold — so many delicious possibilities. Garnish with a sprig of dill and a strip of lemon zest.

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I spent a few hours Saturday night perfecting the Save-the-Date card plan. It took a while but I think I finally have a design I really like. Now, we just need to decide on a location after next weekend’s field trip to Astoria and Ilwaco/Seaview. Then I can actually sit down and hammer them all out.