I adore asparagus. It's my favorite vegetable. For years, cutting off and discarding the woody ends offended me as a waste of perfectly good flavor. Then, in a flash of brilliance, I started freezing those ends until the end of the season and used them to make a broth for asparagus soup. They still get thrown away after the broth is made, but I capture all of their goodness and flavor. In this soup, the sorrel adds a nice tartness and the curry adds spice. (If you don't have a bunch of woody ends in the freezer, buy an extra pound of fresh asparagus and use the woody ends from all the asparagus you bought, and then include the extra fresh asparagus in the soup as well.)
Makes 6 servings
1-1/2 to 2 pounds asparagus woody ends
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium leeks, white part only, chopped
1-1/2 to 2 pounds asparagus spears without woody ends, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 pound chopped sorrel
Put woody ends and onion quarters in a soup pot with chicken stock and bring to a vigorous simmer. Cook for 1 hour. Discard solids.
Melt butter over medium heat, add leeks and saute until translucent.
Return soup base to stove over medium heat, add leeks and bring to simmer. Add remaining asparagus and cook until just done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients except sorrel. Allow to cool. Puree soup with sorrel in a blender or food processor, or with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
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