Asparagus Bisque

Spring is here!!! I was so excited to see all the blooming trees and green grass popping up this week. The weather turned warm enough to wear sandals one day and it's still March! Last year here in Salt Lake City, we had snow until June so I love our chance to experience a long and wonderful Spring season this year. That also means that berries and tender asparagus are showing up on sale at every grocery store. So, sorry for all the pureed soups in a row, but this is well worth it.

A bisque is a creamy soup. However, as a dietitian, sometimes I feel guilty using real cream. So, I experiment with alternative techniques to cut down on saturated fat that you are tempted to use a LOT when you get into cooking and flavors, etc. I will admit, there are some things that are really not even close to the same and taste fake but, for this soup I used white beans to give the creaminess and thickness. It worked out really well.  The little garnish of a few crumbles of bacon will throw off any skeptics and satisfy their taste buds expecting something fatty. The beans also add a healthy carbohydrate base to the soup so it is more filling and can be used as a major piece of the meal, rather than just an appetizer. I'll give credit to www.aspicyperspective.com for reminding me of this great idea.

Start by sauteing onion in a little oil. Then add in chopped asparagus (reserving the very tops for garnish) to the pot and let them saute a few minutes until they look bright green.
Add in the spices (I used a little extra salt in my recipe today because I was using my homemade vegetable stock-I'll post about it later- which had a lot less salt than the canned). Pour in the stock and beans and let simmer over med low heat for about 15 minutes.

If you are using really large asparagus, you will want to cook longer OR use a vegetable peeler and peel off the outside of the bottom half of the asparagus before cooking. Meanwhile, saute the bacon pieces and tops of asparagus in a little skillet for a few minutes until bacon is cooked but not completely crisp. Reserve for garnish.

Use an immersion blender to puree. This, my friends, is an immersion blender.

One of my readers was confused at the terminology. It can also be called a hand blender (not to be confused with a hand mixer). In our house growing up, it was known as the orange juice or shake mixer, because that was pretty much what we used it for.
Once it is a smooth as you like it, stir in a dollop of plain yogurt. Taste it to make sure the spices don't need to be adjusted. Pour into soup bowls and garnish.

A note about bacon: I use it, to be sure, but never much as once. But, bacon only comes in one size package in the stores. So, this is my method to always having a little bacon around when I need it for recipes such as this. I separate each strip and lay them out on a cookie sheet (my small one) and put them in the freezer. Then the next day, I will cut each strip in half so they fit into a ziploc baggie or two and store in the freezer to use as needed. They thaw out easily under running warm water.



Asparagus Bisque
1/2 onion
1 TBSP canola oil
1 bunch fresh asparagus, chopped
8 oz white beans (1/2 a can)
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon of nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 strip of bacon, chopped

Saute onion in a little oil in your soup pot. Then add in chopped asparagus (reserving the very tops) to the pot for a few minutes until they look bright green. Add in the spices. Pour in the stock and beans and let simmer over med low heat for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute the bacon pieces and tops of asparagus in a little skillet for a few minutes until bacon is cooked but not completely crisp. Set aside for garnish. Use an immersion blender to puree soup.  Once it is smooth, stir in a dollop of plain yogurt and lemon juice. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into soup bowls and top with garnish.

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Roasted Red Pepper Soup

My favorite soup at Paradise bakery has to be their roasted red pepper/tomato soup, by far.  Don't even try anything else there or you are going to miss out. Last week, when Costco had a great sale on bulk red peppers I figured it was the perfect time to knock this one off my list of soups I needed to learn to make. It came out really close to theirs (don't tell), so I was happy.

A few notes:
I didn't put in many red pepper flakes because I don't like this one too spicy, but you are welcome to throw in some more for good red pepper heat!

Some pureed soups are meant to be more smooth and creamy. This one lends itself better to a little more texture. I like it thick with a few chunks left, which is why an immersion blender worked great. Keep that in mind if you use a standing blender.

You can roast red peppers over an open flame (like a gas range or grill) or under the broiler. Since this recipe calls for so many, I suggest the broiler...unless, of course, you are a pyromaniac and can't give up an opportunity to play with fire. You can try the canned version of roasted red peppers but I can't imagine it being the same.

Make sure you get the skins very blistered and black like this.  I should have even let these go a few more minutes longer. Scraping off the skins can get a little messy but well worth the effort.

My wonderful artistic roommate Susan once captured one of my favorite cooking pictures of all time after I had roasted a red pepper...

Roasted Red Pepper Soup
8-10 red bell peppers
8 cloves of garlic, in the peel
1 chopped onion (about 2 cups)
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP thyme leaves or 2 fresh sprigs
2 bay leaves
4 cups broth or stock
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
sour cream or plain yogurt for garnish

Set oven to broil.  Cut the bell peppers into 4 flat sections, removing all seeds and membranes. Place them, skin up, on a foiled lined baking sheet along with the garlic cloves. Place baking sheet on most top rack and broil the red peppers until the skin is ALL blistered and charred. Remove them from the oven and place in a large ziploc bag. Close the bag and let them steam for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute the onion, thyme, bay leaves in oil in a large soup pot until the onions are soft. Add the broth, stewed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cut off the end of garlic and squeeze it out of the peel into the soup.
Remove the outer peel of the peppers by scraping with a knife to reveal the soft undersides. Chop those and add to the soup. Simmer all together for another 20 min. Remove bay leaves and sprigs. Use an immersion blender and blend together. Taste. add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with a swirl of sour cream or crunchy tortilla strips (paradise bakery style).
Serves 6