Soups On!

With Thursday’s weather perfect for chilled foods, I got to thinking about a cold soup favorite, a frequent treat on August evenings in Florida when the days were limited to a fast six weeks of summer holiday. It’s the simplest of soups to make, takes little time and combines a medley of flavors most people enjoy. Hard to remember exactly where the recipe came from, but a vague memory tells me it came by email from a Louisiana cousin several years ago. I’m sure she told me the source of the recipe, but I don’t recall. Could be something she dreamed up herself, or it could be a magazine recipe. Wherever it came from, it quickly became a warm weather favorite at my dinner table.

Nothing complicated about the name or the ingredients. It’s a lemon asparagus soup, one that can be served warm if you prefer, but probably at its best after about three hours in the refrigerator, and even better after an all night chilling.

LEMON ASPARAGUS SOUP

Here’s what you need:

1 pound fresh asparagus chopped

1 cup chopped celery

3 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon grated lemon peel

½ cup whipping cream

Dash of either white or black pepper

parsley leaf and lemon twist for garnish

Preparation:

Combine the chopped asparagus, celery and chicken broth in a large saucepan and heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove and allow to cool.

Pour the asparagus mixture into a blender and blend until smooth and without bits or chunks of vegetable. stir in the lemon juice, grated lemon peel, whipping cream and pepper. If you prefer the soup warm, pour the soup back into the saucepan and heat until warm but do not boil. For cold soup place the soup in a covered container in the refrigerator and leave for at least three hours. Just be sure you don’t place the soup in the refrigerator while it is still hot.

Some might want more, might have a larger appetite, but many will be satisfied with the cold soup, a green salad and a few small pieces of ciabatta bread and a glass of frosty iced tea. For those unfamiliar with this bread, it is an Italian white bread, long and flattish, often used for sandwiches but very tasty with soup.

Tuck in and happy eating!