Here’s a delicious way to salvage the tough, woody ends of asparagus spears. They make an exquisitely flavored velvety-smooth blended soup that whips up with minutes. Lightly season to enhance but not obscure its delicate, nuanced asparagus flavors, and garnish with chopped chives, a pinch of chili threads, and some homemade whole grain croûtons for an elegant, delectable first course that costs very little in time, effort, or ingredients.
* Find this recipe and more in The Environmental Issue of VEGWORLD Magazine
Asparagus Recoup Soup with Crispy Croûtons
Prep Time
10 minutes
Total Time
20-35 minutes
Cathy Katin-Grazzini is the founder of Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC in Ridgefield, CT, and Food Editor for VEGWORLD Magazine. After her husband Giordano’s life-threatening surgery, Cathy embarked on a journey that led her to plant-based cuisine, Giordano’s dramatic recovery, and a quantum leap in both their health. Through her work as a teacher, chef, and lifestyle coach, Cathy has helped hundreds of patients improve their health and learn to cook flavorful, nourishing, and exciting whole food plant-based dishes.
Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell, Cathy completed professional culinary training at Rouxbe Cooking School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago, attended graduate school at Harvard University, and received a Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Cathy’s cookbook, Love the Foods that Love You Back, is available now from Rizzoli.
Photo by Giordano Katin-Grazzini
Ingredients
- 2 2.25-pound bags of fresh asparagus spears, lower woody sections only (tops reserved for another dish)
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh grinds of white pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Shiro (mild, white) miso, or to taste, diluted in tepid water to make a thick miso sauce
Garnishes
- A few chives, chopped finely
- Several homemade croutons (recipe below)
- A pinch of chili threads or flakes (optional)
Quick Croûtons
- 2/3 cup coarse whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 3 teaspoons arrowroot
- Several grinds of white or black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or dried thyme leaves
- 1 medium yellow potato, microwaved
- 1 teaspoon Shiro miso paste, or to taste
Directions
- Break off the asparagus stems towards the bottoms to remove the tougher, woodier ends. Simmer in water for 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the stems’ thickness and freshness, until they are quite tender when pierced.
- Drain, reserving the water, and toss in a high-speed blender. Purée them, adding only as much of the cooking water as needed for a smooth, velvety texture. Season with a light hand with pepper and nutritional yeast.
- Before serving, reheat on the stovetop or for a minute, covered in the microwave. Serve in warmed bowls, stirring in a spoonful of diluted miso or to taste. Garnish with chopped chives, warm croutons, and, if you like, a pinch of chili.
Quick Croûtons
- Mix the breadcrumbs, arrowroot, nutritional yeast, pepper, herbs, and miso paste in a bowl, taste and adjust seasonings as you like, then mound the mix on a large cutting board.
- Cook the potato in a microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, just until tender. While it is still piping hot, cut the potato in half, and using a ricer, squeeze two-thirds of the riced potato pulp onto the mix. Use a fork to distribute the potato throughout the mixture, and then use your hands to knead it for a minute into a dough. Add more of the riced potato if the mixture remains too crumbly to gather cohesively.
- Use a wooden dowel or light rolling pin to flatten the dough to ¼-inch in thickness. Then square off the edges and cut into bite-sized 1-inch squares or 1 by ¾-inch rectangles.
- Heat a nonstick pan for 3 minutes over medium heat. Toast the croûtons for about 2 minutes on each side to lightly brown them.
- Serve immediately, or, if you prepare them in advance, reheat them before serving for 5 minutes in a 300°F oven.
Recipe Note
Variations: While more assertive in flavor, recouping the stems of cauliflower, broccoli, or hardy greens like kale or collards, also make very nutritious, tasty, and thrifty blended soups. Cook and season them similarly.
