26 July 2007 
I am by nature a soup luncher. I blame it on my father. He sought out soups as the springboard to all his lunches, which, living in South America, always consisted of a full course meal of meat, sides, and salad, followed by a chaser of homemade lemonade. But soup always came first and always, just as he insisted, piping hot. He’d then proceed to slurp it with such delight, deft, and agility that always left me mesmerized. I don’t know how he did it, but I’d just be starting to decipher the flavors of that broth when he’d be done with it. Lunchtime here is another era. I am usually alone, usually running between errands or writing stories, always knowing that soon I will begin picking up my kids and my role as mommy will take center stage for the remainder of that day. I don’t have the time nor the appetite for a full meal, but the yearning for a hot and completely satisfying soup, is there. It is a quick dip into a whole meal. A complex, nourishing dish that, when paired with a good, crusty bread, some butter and a tall glass of lemonade, becomes a quiet reminder of home and all the comforts that implies. All that is missing is my dad’s slurps.
Asparagus Soup
This is quick, extremely easy, and very good. I used 5 ingredients.
1 leek, sliced
2 cups fresh asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups chicken broth*
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
Optional #5: A bit of cream if you’re feeling frisky
*Now, I’d like to say I used homemade broth, I really would. That just has the ring of true culinary dedication. But, I am both honest and a realist, so I will tell you flat out that I didn’t. I used a bouillon cube (all formally French-trained chefs may gasp now). Yes, a chicken cube plopped into water. No time for anything else. And you know what, it tastes, not only fine but, DELICIOUS!
Here are the 3 steps:
1. In a heated pan (medium/high) melt butter and add chopped leeks & chopped asparagus. PAUSE: A word on leeks. They love to hide dirt so clean them well. To clean just chop off the dark green and discard. Take the remaining white part and slice it in half, lengthwise. You will see it will fan out into many pieces. Make sure to run these halves under cold water, fanning the leek as you go so that the water enters each compartment well. And if you miss a speck or two, no biggie. After all, who didn’t eat a mud pie as a kid? (What, I’m the only one???)
P.S. If you don’t have leek (I happened to find one shriveling up in my fridge) then go ahead and use onion instead, 1/2 cup, chopped.
2. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook another 15 minutes, until asparagus is very tender.
3. Blend soup with an immersion blender and/or in the blender or food processor. (If you don't own an immersion blender, STOP RIGHT NOW, put the whole damn soup project on the side, and run out and buy one.)
Correct seasoning. Add a dash of cream, if you’d like. Many people would now recommend you strain the soup, to eliminate any fiber (or texture) to the soup, but, personally, I quite like the soup to have the sense of body to it. If you don’t, feel free to run the soup through a sieve or fine strainer. I just think it’s one more thing to wash.
Serves 4-6
