Kitchen: Asparagus Soup

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus soup is relatively easy to make--unless of course you have an equipment failure during the process--as I happened to have!!  Once the ingredients are soft you generally put them in a blender or food processor or use one of those immersion blenders...but my blender AND my food processor FAILED; one after the other!  I did manage to finally blend the soup, but it took me a lot longer than it should have.  That is why the color of the asparagus is not quite as "green" as it should be...it did get a little over-done...but these are things we have to deal with in the kitchen...it didn't affect the taste, and I don't think the nutritional value was too hindered either.  


ASPARAGUS SOUP:

• 2 TB olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped  (you could substitute shallots if you like)

• 1 or two cloves (not heads) of garlic, crushed

• 1 bunch of asparagus...about a pound, tips cut off and saved (and a bowl of ice water), ends removed and discarded or better yet..composted.

• 4 cups chicken stock or broth (lower salt version) (you may also substitute water instead)
  

• 3/4 c. milk, cream, half and half, or non-dairy milk (are you going for low cal? or creamy--your choice) (or as little as you like)

• 2 TB butter (salted or unsalted...asparagus is low in sodium to begin with)

• thickening agent of your choice (flour, corn starch, arrow root, etc.)

Since most of us already have most of the ingredients on hand, except for the asparagus, when you see a good sale on asparagus you can easily whip this up.


Begin by chopping the onions.  Take the garlic cloves and smash them on a cutting board (wood or plastic) with the bottom of an iron skillet--remove the outer skins.  (Or remove the skins and crush them in a garlic press, if you prefer.) 

• Prepare the fresh asparagus by washing thoroughly--making sure there is no sand or dirt in the tips.  Cut off the tips and set them aside to be cooked separately.  Remove the ends.  Try cutting in a few places moving each time a little farther from the end.  When it slices easily, you will cut off and discard the tough part.  OR you can take the time to peel the tough ends only discarding the very ends.  Chop the remaining stems into 1-2 inch pieces...trying to keep them about the same so they cook at the same rate. Prepare an "ice bath" (water with ice cubes)  for the tips, which you will cook separately. The ice bath will stop the cooking and keep your tips looking very green so you can used them to "dress" the soup.  (If you don't want to take this extra step, just cook the asparagus...tips and all...together.) 
• Once you have all your ingredients cut, chopped, washed, and ready to go...
• it's time to turn the heat on the dutch oven or soup pot.  Don't leave it too long heating before you add your oil...it's not good for the pan.  
• Add the onions and cook them until they are starting to become softer, and almost translucent stirring so as not to brown too much



onions, garlic, asparagus and chicken broth

• Add the garlic, again stirring frequently...no one likes the taste of burned garlic.

• Add the chicken broth, stock, or water.  (If you have the time, it is nice to heat it before pouring into the pot, but it is not necessary.) 

• Add the chopped asparagus spears...not the tips if you are going to use them for a garnish.
• Allow this to cook on medium heat 'til the spears are tender.

asparagus tips on ice stops the cooking so keeps them green

• Next, prepare the tips, either using a steam basket or placing them in boiling water for a short time...checking often until just tender...they should be fairly green.  When they are "done", remove them from the steamer or drain the water and immediately plunge them into the ice water.  (To stop the cooking so they retain their color and texture.)
• After you allow the soup to cool a bit, you can use whatever means to blend it thoroughly...please use your imagination here, no pics, since I 

had and equipment failure!

• Once all the soup is nicely blended...taste it to see if you have any "strings" from the stems, if you do, strain the soup. 
• Return the soup to the pot and add the milk, cream, etc. or milk substitute and the butter (again, if you are going for low cal--you can skip the butter)
• Bring the heat back up and add the thickening agent.  You don't want it really thick, only slightly thickened, if you used cream or half and half, you may not need any thickener at all)
• Be VERY CAREFUL not to scorch your soup...if you think you have...DON'T STIR!  Remove the pan from the fire and pour it into another pan WITHOUT scraping the bottom...whatever sticks should stay in the old pan!!

almost there!

•  Once heated through and thickened, you are ready to PRESENT your soup!
• Placing it in a cup or a bowl, take several of the tips (either quickly heat them for a few seconds in the microwave--or dip them for a few seconds into boiling water to re-heat them) and arrange them in the bowl.  
• My new go-to garnish is Pea Shoots!!  Kind of like sprouts, but the early growth of peas.  They are wonderfully pretty, and stand up well to temperatures...also great in salad, stir frys, etc. Tasty too!
• Croutons and a bit of butter also for garnish.  If you feel you need salt, (and you may), you can use Gaylord Hauser's Vege (a kind of celery salt) or regular salt, and pepper is nice too.

 

mmmmmm......enjoy!

 

 Here is a link to some asparagus nutritional facts to help you decide if this is right for you...and REMEMBER that some people process asparagus differently and it may cause a slight change in the odor of your hmmm...pee!  Yes, this happens and it is nothing to cause concern or alarm.  If you are doing any medical tests where you need to avoid sources of iodine, this is not the soup for you until they are completed.






 
 


 

KITCHEN: Runza's and the quicker Runza Alternative!!!

traditional Runzas  with regular dough

Runza Recipe ( oven 375 degrees)

(filling)
1 medium cabbage (coursely chopped or thinly sliced)
4 medium onions, chopped (I use less)
1 pound lean hamburger
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt

The trick to the filling is the pre-cooking part--you want the meat cooked,
but NOT the cabbage. A very large skillet is preferred. Most people start
with the chopped onions, but I like to let them "sweat" in the partially
cooked meat (crumbled). The onions will have less chance to burn. Add
the salt and pepper (you can adjust this if you need to). When the
hamburger is cooked (just barely) and the onions are transparent, you can
add the coursely chopped cabbage. Stir to keep it from weeping too
much. You are not trying to cook the cabbage, only "sweat" it just a tad
so you can manage it as a filling. When it is no more than halfway done,
remove it from the heat. Stir it to cool it more quickly--you are trying to
keep the cabbage from cooking and getting soggy. If you can cool it
quickly and get it into the fridge--that would be good. 

Dough:
1 pkg active dry yeast (or equivalent) (usually a TB)
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 cups milk (scalded--NOT boiled
5 TB sugar
1 TB salt
6 TB oil (olive or canola or whatever)
7-8 cups of flour

(This is a very versatile dough. I make dinner rolls with it and have made
dessert runzas with fruit (especially apples) fillings. I even use it for
cinnamon rolls--very good.)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water--to hurry this process sprinkle just a
bit of sugar on it. Set that aside to start getting "frothy". Scald the milk.
(To test for the scald point-gently blow across the top to see if a film has
begun to form--you will see little wrinkles in it when you blow) (Don't ask
me why you scald the milk--I don't know, and I am not sure we even have
to do it--it's just what the recipe calls for) As the scalded milk is cooling,
add the sugar, salt, and oil to it. Stir and let it cool to the 110-115
degrees that the yeast likes. Once it has reached that point you can place
the milk mixture in a large mixing bowl and add the yeast mixture. Stir.
Take 3-4 cup of the flour and dump it into the liquid. Stir with a fork or a
spoon (I use a fork). This will be a lumpy yucky mess. Continue to add
the flour one cup at a time, mixing it in after each addition. It will get
more and more difficult to blend it in. (due to fluctuations in the the
amount of moisture in the flour and the air etc. you will have to judge
whether you stop at 7 cups of flour, or 8 cups. I usually have no trouble
getting in 7 cups and then use the 8th cup to work the dough as I knead it.
After the dough has kind of become one mass, it is time to pour it out on
a floured surface and begin getting the lumps out by kneading. I usually
knead the dough for at least 10 minutes and sometimes 15 minutes. The
dough should become smooth and spring back readily if poked or gently
pinched. It should be very elastic. Oil the original mixing bowl--about 2-3
tsp should do it. No, you don't need to wash the bowl first. (But, you
should remove any loose stuff if you didn't quite get all the flour mixed in.)
Plop the dough mass into the bowl and use it like a sponge to move the
oil around the insides of the bowl and make sure to cover all the dough
with the oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and set the
bowl in a warm area to allow the dough to double in size. (This should
take anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours) (Always make sure you have a
large enough bowl or it will spill over and be a big mess!)
When it has doubled, you can pound it down and knead the air bubbles out
of it--you should have to knead very long. Traditionally, I think most
people make their runzas long, kind of like a sub roll. I never mastered
that technique and use an alternative. Divide the dough. (I can work with
half at a time, but if you have never made them, you may want to work
with 1/4 of the dough at a time. I roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick
and cut squares about 7" or 8" out of it. (Try not to have to roll it out
again, it doesn't perform well then) The filling--doesn't have to be cold,
just cooled enough to handle. A large serving spoon is heaped on the
center of the square and then I bring up the sides to meet at a point in the
middle on top. (Make sure you have drained any liquid from it) (Like an
apple dumpling) Then I press the edges together and twist the center
points into a little knot. The seams make it easier to break open for
reheating in the microwave and adding the butter or the mustard (I only
put butter on mine, but I know many people use mustard) 
These can tend to be a little messy when in the oven, so I usually place
them on aluminum foil on the cookie sheet. Place 6-8 on cookie sheet
and bake them in the oven for about 15-18 minutes. Check to see if they
are beginning to brown on the top. You want them to be a nice light
brown, so check them every few minutes. My oven seems to take longer,
so I am only giving you an approximate time. I serve this with potato
cheese soup or celery soup (homemade), if I serve anything else with it.
These will freeze well. Wrap each cooled runza with a heavy plastic
wrap, like STRETCH-TITE, doubling it over. You can thaw them in the
fridge and re-heat them (without the plastic wrap) wrapped in a paper
towel. You can also reheat them in the microwave when they are frozen,
but you will have to experiment, as the filling likes to stay frozen.
Breaking it open along the seams will help.
If you have questions, just ask....



Cinnamon Rolls, Runzas and dinner rolls from the same recipe!

And now for the super alternative to the long version!

EGG ROLL RUNZAS!!

 Using the same Runza filling as above...place in egg roll wrappers, folding and sealing as directed on the package.  I opt for the BAKED version...brushing a little olive oil on the top of each egg roll (to allow for browning)...and using my small (but efficient) tabletop oven, in a very few minutes we can have our Runza Alternatives!!  I use lower salt beef broth, a little butter, some chopped green onion, a little parsley...thicken slightly (corn starch or arrowroot), and use that as a dipping sauce.  You can get a little experimental and try adding some carrot shreds, or summer squash shreds to the filling, just to change it up a bit.  These were a huge hit since the regular runzas need a normal oven and it heats up the kitchen to do that...we only make runzas in the cooler weather...and in Phoenix...there's not a lot of that!