As with most of the food ideas we have, this soup started out as something completely different. Originally, it was a recipe from Emeril for Garlic-roasted Asparagus that we were asked to make for Easter. That recipe was deceptively simple: toss the Asparagus with some crushed/minced Garlic, Olive Oil, and Salt & Pepper and roast it until golden brown – about 10 minutes or so. It was very similar in execution to our Rosemary Roasted Asparagus only Emeril finished it with a squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice.
We loved the freshness that the Lemon added to the Asparagus, and since we’d been wanting to make some Asparagus soup for quite a while we decided to borrow heavily from the Easter recipe ala Emeril.
The basic greatness of soup lies in it’s flexibility. You can go as simple or complex as you want depending on how the mood grabs you. In this case we wanted to stick with the general flavor profile of Emeril’s original recipe since there didn’t seem to be any room for improvement there.
Essentially, we just added a little Chicken Broth, a splash of Cream, and a sprinkle of Parmesan to the recipe and presented it in a slightly different format.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Asparagus, washed and tough ends snapped off and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 32 oz low sodium Chicken Broth
- 3 Tbsp Half & Half
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Lemon Zest
- Parmesan
In a large soup pot over medium-high heat saute the Asparagus in a little Olive Oil and Salt & Pepper. After a few minutes, once the color in the Asparagus gets nice and bright, add the Garlic. Saute for another minute and then add the Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about another 5 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and puree it a bit with a hand blender (alternatively you can scoop about half of it into a blender and puree it that way, but take care not to spray boiling hot soup everywhere, mmmmkay?). Stir in the cream and season to taste with Salt & Pepper. Ladle it into bowls and grate a little fresh Lemon Zest and Parmesan over the top.
We found that this soup got better as it cooled off a little. It allowed the flavors to meld a little more, though you could also just make it a day ahead and let it mellow in the fridge overnight…leftovers always taste better. 
