Three Little Asparagus Soups For Spring Recipes

Steps:

• Peel 4 asparagus stalks and slice the remainder crosswise into 1-inch pieces. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the sliced asparagus and 2 of the peeled stalks. Saute 5 minutes or until soft.
• Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and add half-and-half. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the 2 stalks. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the soup through a coarse sieve set over a large bowl, pressing the asparagus through with the back of a large spoon. Scrape the pulp into the soup, whisk and refrigerate 1/3 of it.
• Cut the 2 cooked asparagus stalks into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside. Slice the 2 raw asparagus stalks into 1 1/2- by- 1/8-inch julienne. Set aside.
• For a risotto quenelle garnish, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water, 1/3 cup at a time, adding more as water is absorbed, cooking risotto about 10 minutes in all. Add the diced asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice is al dente. Spread risotto on a plate to cool.
• Place the flour, egg and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Shape the rice into quenelles (small footballs) with 2 teaspoons, lightly roll in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.
• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a small pot to 375 degrees and fry the risotto quenelles until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• To serve, remove the cold soup from the refrigerator and remove any solidified butter to larger portion of soup. Heat the unrefrigerated soup till hot and pour into 12 small bowls, adding the reserved asparagus strands to 6 and the quenelles to 6. Pour the cold soup into 6 small bowls, adding the chopped raw salmon to each. Serve each diner with 3 different soups.

Steps:

• Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
• Reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth.
• Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
• Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.