When I was a child and school was out for the summer, my sister, mother and I would head to Israel. On the way we met my grandparents in Germany (where they were originally from before they moved to israel during the war). After the long flight we would arrive in chilly Germany and my grandmother would always have a bowl of hot asparagus soup waiting. It would have chunks of white asparagus (the tender stalks are grown in boxes and without exposure to the sun they are delicate and delicious) and my sister and I would gobble it up, followed by fresh, tart red currents for dessert. Now that asparagus is in season here in the States, I’m taking every opportunity to cook up asparagus soup. But with a new baby at home, it’s impossible to find the time to make my own vegetable stock and create a rich asparagus soup from scratch. Here’s my trick, Knorr Spargelcreme (asparagus in German). It’s not the easiest to find, but grocery stores that have an ethnic section, like Fiesta, or specialty Eropean grocery stores (in Dallas I get it at Kuby’s German deli) will carry the package. It is a powder mix and tastes so creamy and delicious, unlike canned soups. I add fresh asparagus and it’s a hearty, healthy meal on it’s own or with a salad. I love to make homemade croutons to sprinkle on top of the soup, the recipe follows. It all takes minutes to prepare!
Knorr (doctored) Asparagus Soup
1 package Knorr Asparagus soup mix
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups lowfat milk
1/4 cup Vermouth (this was Julia Child’s secret, instead of white wine, which spoils after a couple days, Vermouth can stay in your pantry forever, but still adds that zing to food)
1/2 pound fresh asparagus stalks.
Trim and peel the tough ends of the asparagus. Instead of throwing it away, add them to the stock pot with the vegetable stock and bring to a boil, strain out the trimmings and throw away. Replace the stock in the pan and add the milk, wine, soup mix and asparagus spears (cut into quarter inch pieces). Bring to a simmer, serve immediately with croutons.
Homemade Croutons
Half a loaf of day old French baguette, cubed into half inch cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
Kosher salt
In a saute pan, add the olive oil (start with a tablespoon, drizzle more if croutons begin to burn)
Add the garlic clove, cook until garlic turns brown, remove the garlic and discard
Add the bread cubes and toss to coat in oil. Brown on all sides, tossing frequently, for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve.
