Asparagus Soup

Revision: 0.10, 15.Oct.07 14:26

A friend sent me this recipe.  I thought it was pretty ordinary until I got to the lemon-sour cream topping.  Wow!  Did that ever make a difference!

NB:  If you're one of those clueless cadre of folks that think dietary fats are what clogs your arteries or pads your thighs, you should probably read here or not read further.  Given that you have no grasp of (human) physiological reality, nothing that I could possibly write here will be to your liking--or something you're going to want to eat.
The only ingredients in this recipe that can negatively impact your gross body weight are the potatoes, asparagus, and onion...

Serves 6:

Into in a deep sauté pan or working soup-pot on medium/medium-low heat, cut the Italian sausages into bite-sized sections.  Using some of the butter, heat the sausages through until they just start to brown.  Add the olive oil, onions, celery, and garlic; cook for about another 10-minutes.

Scrub the potatoes, slice, cross-cut, and cross-cut again into cubes about a 1/2 inch square or so.  If you want you can peel them, I don't.  Add to the sauté pan or pot.  Stir to mix and coat.  Add the broth, bay leaf, and oregano.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender (break when poked with a fork).  Use one of the "zigzag" potato stompers to mash the potatoes.  Mash 'em all or just a few...your call...

Add the asparagus and simmer gently for about 6 more minutes.  When the hardest part of the stalk (the white part, nearest the bottom) is "al dente" turn off the heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir together the lemon juice and sour cream.

Serve the soup with a dollop or two of the lemon/sour-cream on top; as well as a dash of Paprika, or Cayenne, or Nutmeg...

Enjoy with fresh sourdough bread, and a cellar cool Amber Ale.

Tip:  Squeeze the lemon peel closely over the sour-cream (rotating the lemon body about an 1/8 of a turn between squeezes).  The oil from the lemon will add an incredible dimension to the "lemon" flavor in the sour cream!