Food Focus: Asparagus is in Season!

Asparagus is the classic spring harvest treat. It is a perennial plant and only the young shoots of asparagus are eaten. Asparagus provides excellent nutrition. It is low in calories, contains no cholesterol and is very low is sodium. It is a good source of folate and potassium and its stalks are high in antioxidants. Asparagus can be eaten raw in a salad, boiled or steamed and served with butter or hollandaise sauce, stir-fried, wrapped in bacon or grilled. It is also used as an ingredient in soups and stews.

This is Farmer Joanie harvesting some asparagus last weekend.

I used what I brought home with me to make an Asparagus Soup with Garlic Cream. This recipe is super simple to make and delicious!

For the soup you will need:

• 1 pound asparagus, 1-1/2 inches of the hard ends removed
• sea salt
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound (2 cups) leeks, cleaned and finely chopped, white parts only
• 1/4 cup roll oats
• 5 cups vegetable stock

Cut 1-1/2 inches off tip of each asparagus spear; set tips and stems aside. Bring saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the asparagus tips and cook until tender - about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Warm oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks and a pinch of salt and saute over medium-low for 7 minutes or until leeks are softened but not browned. Add the oats, asparagus stems and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, until the oats are tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the Garlic Cream.

For the Garlic Cream:

• 1 medium head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 5 sprigs of fresh tarragon
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Fresh parsley; chopped for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine garlic, olive oil, water and tarragon. Simmer, uncovered until the garlic is tender, 20-30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender. Puree, adding a little of the vegetable cooking liquid if needed. Stir the garlic cream into the soup and mix well. Puree the soup in a standing blender or with a hand-held immersion blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot. Add salt to taste and season with fresh ground pepper and lemon juice. Add reserved asparagus tips and reheat if necessary. Serve warm, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Note: Although they may seem unusual in soup, blended oats produce a delicate, creamy consistency; you'll never know they're there!

My soup wasn't completely true to the recipe, but it was still delicious. This was my first attempt and I overlooked separating the tips and stems and cooked and pureed the entire asparagus spear. Instead of vegetable stock, I used chicken stock - only because it was what I had on hand. And, I didn't have fresh tarragon, so I used oregano. Why oregano? It was what I had and it seemed comparable. This recipe as well as other asparagus recipes are available in our recipe book. Look for it in our farm store and at farmer's markets soon!