I mentioned on Facebook that I’d made cream of asparagus soup and steak with cream and sherry sauce last night. One of my Facebook friends (hi, Jeanne!) asked for the recipe for the soup. Well, I’ll give you both and some ventures into corn muffins and corn bread.
The secret behind asparagus in soups is to ensure that the entire woody stem (up to the green part) is removed. Otherwise, you will have a very fibrous soup. As for amounts, I’m pretty vague about those because I don’t usually measure much unless I’m baking, where measurement is key to success.
A couple (as many as you like, actually) of bunches of mature asparagus
One or two onions, sliced
A green bell pepper, chopped roughly
Perhaps three or four new potatoes, peeled and sliced
About a quart or a quart and a half of stock, either vegetable or chicken. DO NOT USE BEEF!
A tablespoonful of vegetable oil NOT OLIVE OIL!
1/2 pint of single cream (in the US=”light cream”) and some milk
A glug of dry sherry
Bouquet garni
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in your soup pot. Saut