Asparagus soup

Preparing the soup – 45 minutes

Peel the white asparagus. Use your finger to check if you didn’t miss anything, this is because the peel can be very stringy. Chop off about 1 cm from the bottom, then place the asparagus in cold water to prevent them from browning.

Place the asparagus ends along with the peels into a large pan, and fill it with cold water. Add a little bit of butter and salt to it to create flavorful water. Let simmer on low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley and set it aside.  drain the water and throw out the asparagus ends and peels. Cook the asparagus in the flavorful water for about 10 to 15 minutes.

You'll notice when they're ready when you can ever so slightly bend the asparagus. Remove from water, cut off the tips and set aside.  

Finishing up the asparagus soup – 10 minutes

Melt butter in another large pan to create a roux. A roux is used as a thickening agent and contains butter and flour, that's all. Add all of the flour when the butter is hot and stir well.

Cook for a few minutes, this way the 'flour taste' will disappear. Little by little add the hot asparagus flavoured water and keep on stirring. Bring to a boil and add in the chicken stock cubes, along with the asparagus except for the tips.

Blend the soup using a rod mixer or blender and season with pepper and salt. Whip the cream until it's a bit thickened, but still a bit runny. Carefully stir the cream in the soup and serve immediately with the asparagus tips.

Garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy your meal!