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visit the town links:
Haddam Town Website
HK Rec. Dept.
Haddam Bulletin
Haddam Green
Haddam Historical Society
Haddam Land Trust
Haddam Killingworth Youth and Family Services
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Recipes
(4/13/2010) Early Bird Asparagus Soup
Hello from Deb---from the hills and dales of Higganum!
All across our country, at least north of the Mason Dixon line, gardens are waking
up and some are even up and growing! Linda Fleming, from our Market Board told
me she even had a few stalks of early asparagus up already and I thought we should
start this year’s recipe collection with a quintessential Springtime recipe
to start off the season: Early Bird Asparagus Soup. Since asparagus is so plentiful
at the earliest blush of spring, buy a double batch and cook it all at one time—enough
for dinner the first night and the rest saved in reserve for soup making-the
next. Our market will start in early June and you may still find asparagus from
our wonderful farmers! You will need at least3 to 4 cups of trimmed 1 or 2 inch
pieces – depending on how much you like asparagus!
Ingredients: 2 tblsp butter, 2 tblsp olive oil, ¼ tsp
each coarsely ground salt &pepper, ½ cup finely chopped onion, 4 cups
chicken broth, I cup whole milk or 2 %, ½ cup Greek style yogurt, 1
big lemon—cut in 2: at our house, half gets juiced, and half is cut in
pieces. Add 1 tsp to 1 tblsp fresh ground ginger root, 3 to 4 cups cooked asparagus
chopped in roughly 1 to 2 inch pieces. 1 cup pre-cooked Yukon Gold potatoes
or more depending on how you thick you like your soup (I cook these the day before
at the same time I cook the asparagus). In a pinch, substitute 1 cup instant
mashed. Additional Greek Yogurt or fresh whipped heavy cream to stir into each
bowl just before serving with some snipped fresh chives, additional chopped onions
or scallions sprinkled on top. Makes 6 to 7 very large bowls of soup!
Prepare: Sautee onions in butter and olive oil until light golden
brown, be careful not to burn! Stir in cooked potatoes on low to med. heat, stirring
continuously. Add ½ lemon juice, whisk in chicken broth, and Greek yogurt. Add
cooked asparagus and milk –add milk slowly so it does not curdle (due to
lemon), and whisk like crazy (alternatively, I like to add only ½ the
amount of asparagus instead, and reserve the remaining portion to add at the
end for a chunkier consistency—it’s a matter of preference). Continue
to whisk over low heat for around 15 minutes. Take off burner and let cool slightly,
and puree until smooth in your blender (in batches if you need to) or, use extreme
caution if you puree hot liquids! Another method is to make this in a large soup
or stock pot and use an immersion blender, but again, use extreme caution!
Serve: You can reheat if you’ve let this cool, or serve
hot if you’ve blended on the stove, but stir in remaining asparagus pieces
at this point if you desire, and season to taste. I put lemon wedges on table
so everyone can help themselves, along with Greek Yogurt and small prep
bowls of chives or onion/scallion toppings.
This hearty soup makes a superb meal when served with salad greens and a simple
vinaigrette, and a crusty French baguette and a sparkling beverage of your
choice! Dessert of sliced pears and fresh cheese equals spring dinner time nirvana!
(forgive any inadvertent omissions! This was done from memory!)
In greek, we say, “Alo ligo parakalo! (a little
more, please!)”
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