asparagus soup

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 1/2-5 cups vegetable broth or 4 1/2-5 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron thread
• 1/3 cup shelled natural pistachios or 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3 1/2 lbs asparagus (about 3 large bunches)
• 1 large russet potato (baking)
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
• fresh ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 in a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup broth to a boil and remove pan from heat.
• 2 stir saffron into hot broth and steep, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
• 3 in a dry heavy skillet toast nuts over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant. remove.
• 4 chop nuts.
• 5 trim asparagus and cut into 2-inch pieces, reserving tips separately.
• 6 have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water.
• 7 in a large saucepan of boiling salted water blanch tips 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender, and transfer with a slotted spoon to ice water to stop cooking.
• 8 drain tips well and pat dry.
• 9 peel potato and cut enough into 1/2-inch cubes to measure 1 1/2 cups.
• 10 in a 4-quart kettle cook asparagus stalks in margarine over moderate heat, stirring, 3 minutes.
• 11 stir in potato, saffron infusion, and 4 cups broth and simmer, covered, until vegetables are very tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes.
• 12 in a blender purée mixture in batches until smooth (or use an immersion blender).
• 13 in kettle stir together purée and enough of remaining broth to reach desired consistency.
• 14 add half of asparagus tips and bring soup to a simmer.
• 15 while soup is heating, chop parsley.
• 16 season soup with pepper and salt.
• 17 ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining asparagus tips, nuts, and parsley.