Asparagus Soup

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Ingredients

• 1 bunch of asparagus (about 8-10 stalks)
• knob of butter
• freshly ground salt and pepper
• flaked almonds
• parma ham
• olive oil, to drizzle

This is another criminally simple recipe. I can't take all the credit though - it was inspired by Gordon Ramsay's Broccoli Soup, which is prepared in a similar way. However I thought that since asparagus is in season right now and it's...green...like broccoli...that it would make a good substitute. And it was! I polished off an entire baguette eating this delicious soup.

Makes one serving.

1. Heat a heavy, dry frying pan and toss the almonds around until fragrant. Keep an eye on them as they will burn easily. When browned nicely, set aside in a container.

2. Grill the parma ham until browned. Set aside on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil. Slice into thin strips.

3. Place your asparagus in boiling, lightly salted water for about 4 minutes.

4. Remove the asparagus but keep the water bubbling. Put the asparagus in a blender with a knob of butter. Blend until smooth. When smooth, turn off the heat on the water and add a little. Blend. Keep doing so until you reach your preferred consistency for soup. Taste the soup - it may need a little seasoning - don't go crazy though as the grilled parma ham will add a salty element to the dish when you plate it.

5. Pour the lovely, green liquid into a bowl. Garnish with your parma ham and almonds. Drizzle with a little olive oil and give it a grind of pepper. Serve with a crusty baguette.

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  rachel says

  ooh this looks SO good. i love asparagus.. and asparagus soup! will try this out soon.

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  sweesan says

  love the colour!!

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  tommy says

  10 asparagus stalks for one serving? Rather decadent isn't it? I'll wait for the later half of the season to try this one out. Combination of almond, parma ham and asparagus sounds good.

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  yongfook says

  hmmm it was just one bunch of asparagus (going for about 200-yen / 80p now in Tokyo) - I can't remember the exact number of stalks but it was around 8 - 10. Not too decadent if you eat it in season.

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  telliecoin says

  mm asparagus... it's not in season here yet though

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  tommy says

  What!? I got some at the start of the season and each bunch costs around £3. They're grown in the UK...

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  yongfook says

  I made this again today for dinner. So delicious and it takes all of 10 mins to make. A winner.

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  gordonator says

  interesting.

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  yongfook says

  after making this a few times now, I think the only tricky thing is plating it. the almonds are the deal-breaker - chuck them in from too high and they will just sink to the bottom. gently scatter them onto the soup as close to the surface as you can.

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  Roberto says

  Very nice, simple but I can taste how the flavors mend perfectly! Try this, cut the bottom of the asparagus that is usually hard and discarded. Saute shallots, butter and the asparagus bottoms, then add stock. Cook for 30 minutes then strain. Now you have asparagus stock to add to your asparagus for twice the flavor.

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  yongfook says

  brilliant tip! thanks!

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  shini says

  i tried this today. love the color!

• 
  yongfook says

  glad you liked it!

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