Unlikely Combination: Asparagus & Apple Soup

I’m trying to remember where I first tasted this brilliant concoction. If my memory serves me correctly it was my good friend Dan, a mighty fine chef – who created such soup from the whorls of his wacky brain.

I, purveyor and lover of wacky minds, loved this soup upon very first taste. Not because it was such an unlikely marriage, the asparagus and the apple; but because it was (is) worthy of food porn status.

There was no sharing of the recipe, no talk of the soup ever again, but it always remained in the recesses of my mind as one of the best things I ever ate. Accompanied of course by some fresh baked bread. Is that not the going rule for all soup? Indeed.

Moving right along…

I’m sure my recipe is far different than Dan’s and I could never get it to taste quite like his. However. It’s incredibly simple and damn tasty, so there’s that. Soup deliciousness made possible by these two toddlers (well, mostly the older one) and their apple picking adventures.

***When I make soup, I make a boatload of it to jar and freeze, because DUH. In case you’re wondering about the amounts.

What You’ll Need:

• 3 bunches of asparagus cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (it’s in season right now here, so it’s cheap and you can get it from your local Farmer’s Market)
• 2 small finely chopped vidalia onions
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of grapeseed or coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 4 pounds of apples (whatever kind you be pickin’), cored and sliced
• 4  cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• a quality hand blender (or a stationary one, if you don’t have)
• a big dutch oven

How You Do:

I suppose it doesn’t matter really, how finely chopped the onions are because they are going to get blended anyways. The key thing you want to do is to caramelize them in the butter and oil after chopping. In doing so, you will give this otherwise simple soup a lovely mellow; deep and complexly rich flavour. The process usually takes about 15-20 minutes on a low heat, stirring frequently. Remember to sprinkle modestly with sea salt and the pepper. Feel free to demi-glaze now and then with a splashof that beer or glass of wine you are drinking (preferably whites and lagers. Cider works well too). Yes, I did just talk about caramelizing onions for a full paragraph. As one should.

Next, tumble your sliced apples into your dutch oven and our in the water and stock. Stir and simmer (covered) until the apples are tender. Should take about 15 minutes. You last addition woud be the asparagus; you guessed it. Cover again and let simmer on medium heat for another 15 minutes. Now your apples and asparagus are perfectly easy for hand-blending. I LOVE making blended soups using my hand blender, right in the pot for the obvious reason. So easy. Way less mess than transferring to a stationary blender.

Blend until completely creamed and serve either hot or cold. Freeze up some portions for later use, either by way of canning or tupperware and always, ALWAYS, enjoy with fresh bread. This recipe has been toddler approved, courtesy boy who picks all of the apples.