The house will stay cool!
We’re firmly in the middle of wonderful Asparagus Season here in Vermont! How delightful those tender and flavorful shoots. We wait all year, and this is one crop that never disappoints. It’s always the best, and we make the most of it and use those tender spears in everything possible.
Let’s chill some soup
One of my favorite ways to use asparagus when it is at its abundant best is in a chilled soup. Very little is required, in fact, the less you put into the soup the better. You can make a splendid soup just roasting or grilling the asparagus, puréeing it, and all you have to do is thin it out with some stock. You need a roasting sheet and a food mill or food processor, and a bit of salt and pepper. You don’t even need a lot of time.
Or, just grill the asparagus for the soup outside, no pan at all.
One grill, many meals
I bought a big batch of asparagus at a local farm stand for a cookout, purchasing more than I needed for that meal. If you are going to all the prep of firing up the charcoal grill, make the most of it and toss on lots of stuff to use later in the week whether it is veggies for a salad or sandwich, extra protein, or even bread for croutons.
Toss some extra on to use later
We had a lot of stuff prepped for the cookout, most for the grill, but as the coals started to dwindle, I added an extra pound of asparagus as well as some lovely local spring-dug leeks with the idea of a chilled soup for use during the week. I hate wasting any BTUs! So glad I thought ahead, because it got hot and a big jar of chilled soup waiting for us was the perfect quick lunch.
Don’t throw those trimmings away, that’s flavor
I also saved all the trimmings from all the asparagus, the leeks, and some onions we grilled as well. Everything was tossed in a stock pot rather than the compost bin, and in the time it took to clean up, we had a lovely two quarts of asparagus/leek stock to use in the soup and some for the freezer as well. This is all so easy, rather than toss in the trash, toss those trimmings in a saucepan with some salt and pepper, a bay leaf, and any other herbs you like, cover with water, and let simmer for a half hour. The result is really tasty, and makes a great soup base, or even drink it as a refreshing broth.
Simple and delightful
So simple, easy, no waste, and with delightful flavor. The smoke from the grill adds a beautiful element, and little browned flecks of char even more so. When I made the actual soup, I tossed in a few leftover onions from the grilling as well as a grilled potato. The potato added a little more body to the soup, and I’ll remember this the next time and deliberately add one to the grill just for the soup.
Make it your way
You can serve this soup hot, room temp, or chilled. We loved it all ways. A little topping of local chevre seasoned with paprika was a perfect garnish.
Grilled and Chilled Asparagus and Leek Soup
- 1 lb. (460 g.) trimmed asparagus, chopped, save those trimmings for stock
- 3 or 4 spring leeks, about ½ lb. (160 g.) chopped, save the darkest leaves for stock
- 1 large grilled potato, chopped
- Few grates of nutmeg
Stock made from trimmings:
- Trimmings from two pounds of Asparagus and 3 spring leeks
- Water, up to 8 cups
- A couple of bay leaves
- 1 tsp. or so fennel seeds
Trim the asparagus and leeks and place the trimmings in a pot along with the bay leaf and fennel seeds and any other vegetable trimmings you have on hand. On this particular day, I had the skins and ends of a couple of onions, and a few carrot tops. Cover with water, bring to a boil, add salt and pepper, then cover and simmer for a half hour. Let cool to room temperature then strain and use the stock, save it for other dishes later in the week (think rice) or freeze.
Grill the asparagus and leeks. Chop these up and place in a food processor or food mill and purée along with a few grates of nutmeg, and a grilled potato if you have it on hand. This will be really thick, so thin it with the stock to your desired consistency. Chill.
Serve in chilled bowls, and garnish as you like. You can reserve a few of the asparagus tips, mix some smoked paprika with goat cheese, drizzle with a bit of olive oil for richness, or dollop with sour cream or yoghurt.
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One grill, many meals indeed! So beautiful these asparagus! Lovely dish!
Thank you Ribana! You can stuff a lot on a little grill, and everything tastes that much better.
Sounds delightful! we are having a heat wave this week, this will be perfect!
Enjoy! Both the heat and the chilled soups!
It’s not quite asparagus season where I live but I’ll keep this soup in mind
It’s a really simple dish, and so refreshing on a hot day.
I love anything with asparagus
Oh me too! And we’ve certainly been indulging in our share.
Me too
Thank you, Dorothy, for the tasty soup! I love both asparagus and leeks!
Joanna
Then you will love this soup Joanna! Thank you for stopping by! 💕
This sounds delicious! I especially think the paprika goat cheese sounds good!
It was so tasty! At the farmer’s market, the “goat lady” had the lovely paprika spiced chevre, and she offered samples on little crackers topped with the red pepper jelly from another booth. It was amazing!
What a great tasty way to use both leeks and asparagus! The stock from the trimmings must have added so much more intense flavor. I’m still waiting for nice asparagus to show up here. It’s pretty disappointing so far. Not sure why.
Ours was a little late here too, I think all the rain and lack of sunshine, But it’s been sunny for days now, and it is happy. So am I!
A chilled soup is welcome right now, grilling the veggies is the right way to go. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you Jan! We do love those grilled delights!
Oh my gosh. Dorothy…this is genius! 🌟✨💫
Thank you! It is so simple, and everyone loves it, cold or hot!
Fabulous recipe! Thanks!
Thanks Mimi! You are always so kind!
Chilled soups are so refreshing in the summer.
I agree! They are so refreshing!
I made leek and potato soup for lunch today, and it hadn’t occurred to me that asparagus would also work with leeks. Nice!
Pretty delicious Misky!
Potato leek soup, warm or cold, is one of my favorites!
Definitely served warm for me, Dorothy. It’s now our winter and this soup will go down very well indeed. I do love asparagus! 💥
Thank you Carolyn! I guess this is a multi-hemisphere soup!
😋
This soup sounds so good and I love your tip about making stock from the trimmings!
It really adds wonderful flavor, and I love making my kitchen scraps do a little of the work.
Mmmm. Sounds like a delightful summer dish! I’m picturing decadent crab or lobster meat in this asparagus soup to kick it up a notch.
That would be awesome! I’ll take either!
The asparagus looks so pretty!
Thank you! It does look lovely on the plate.
I love asparagus! I will endure a heated kitchen because of ‘baking’ but try to keep it cool from ‘cooking.’ One must have dessert available. 🙂
That’s too funny! One must set priorities in life!
I love asparagus but have never made soup, yours sounds delightful!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna! It was really tasty.
Asparagus soup is a favorite of mine! And we’ve been doing the same thing at the grill recently; cooking more than we need for that meal so we have quicker meals later in the week. It has saved my sanity during a busy work season!
It’s definitely the way to go! I love grilled veggies on a salad, one of my favorites.
I love your recipes, Dorothy. I’ve made asparagus soup with onion, but never with leek or grilled. I have to try this!
The grilling adds a delightful smoky flavor! I highly recommend it!
Such a lovely presentation you have shared here.
This sounds like quite a tasty soup,
Especially on a hot day.
Thanks for the inspiration!
It’s funny how standing over a hot grill is easier on a hot day than standing over a hot stove!
I love all the veggies in this soup and the fact that you grill them!
It adds that lovely touch of smoke!
This soup was delicious! I will make this again.