Cream of Asparagus Soup with Yogurt and Tarragon
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Author Notes: One of the most valuable lessons my mother ever taught me in the kitchen was to add a splash of fortified wine -- sherry, brandy, Cognac -- whenever I'm making a vegetable soup. With just the right amount, you get an extra layer of flavor without actually making the soup taste boozy. While I favor sherry for richer soups like pumpkin or corn chowder, I like Cognac for a light spring purée like the asparagus soup below. A hit of fresh tarragon plays up the grassy nature of the asparagus, and a bit of Greek yogurt lends creaminess without muffling the other components. - merrill
Serves 4 as a starter
- 1 tablespoon safflower oil
- 2 large scallions, thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1 1/2 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Splash of Cognac (sherry or brandy will do)
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups chicken stock or water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plus more for serving
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook for a minute to soften slightly. Turn up the heat to medium high, add the asparagus and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, for a minute or two, until the asparagus turns a vibrant green.
- Add the Cognac or sherry or whatever you're using, the nutmeg and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Cook for another thirty seconds and then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the asparagus is just tender when pierced with a knife, another 3 or 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the tarragon.
- Carefully purée the hot soup in two batches using a blender and adding half of the yogurt to each batch. Put the puréed soup through a medium-fine strainer to get rid of any fibrous bits. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if necessary. To reheat, bring the soup to just below a simmer over medium heat, ladle into individual bowls and add a dollop of yogurt to each.
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about 1 month ago SGSF
Delicious soup, and very fast. Picked up some nice tips from other commenters (thanks!) and substituted mint for the tarragon as it was immediately available. Great!
4 months ago sharli
Simply divine soup.....don't miss out on it folks!!!!
about 1 year ago Dearinger
Great Soup!
I made a few edits. I cut the asparagus in 1/2 inch lengths and kept the fiber in. I used an immersion blender.
Fabulous! I will make it again.
almost 2 years ago assya85
Dear Merrill,
I don't drink alcohol. Do you think sherry vinegar is a good substitute ? Thank you
about 2 years ago cheese1227
Just made this for a friend's birthday luncheon today and it is lovely!
about 3 years ago susan@debonne.net
I just cooked this soup for my family, and while we all certainly enjoyed it, I feel it "needed" something - what it needed, I'm not so sure. Maybe more salt would have done the trick. That said, we are vegetarians, so I used vegetable stock; perhaps that was the lacking link.
I'll try it again, though.
about 3 years ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
It may in fact have been the vegetable stock. I find most veg stock has a heavy, sweet taste that tends to dampen other flavors. Maybe try it with water next time, and definitely don't be shy with the salt -- it will really make the asparagus sing. Let me know how it goes!