Asparagus soups. Asparagus puree Asparagus puree soup

Asparagus is a very useful vegetable, the season of which is very short, which justifies its comparative high cost. That is why it is important to know how to cook asparagus puree - quickly, tasty and win-win.

Servings: 3-4

The art of cooking - the basic rules of cooking

Cooking is the oldest occupation of mankind. The history of cooking is calculated more than one thousand years. As early as the 8th century BC, schools of cooking existed in Rome. Since ancient times, the skill of cooking has been revered as a respected business. However, the scientific beginnings of cooking began to emerge only at the end of the 19th century.

Cooking is a discipline about human nutrition, about the art of preparing delicious and healthy food. Its purpose is to study the appropriate methods and methods of cooking, caloric value, types of products. By mastering this science, you will be able to perfectly cook a complete healthy meal.

Product selection

The art of cooking is a general term for all types of business as defined by cuisine. A set of appliances, products, decorations - these are the elements that are significant for the art of cooking. This takes place in the cuisines of all countries, but plays a particularly significant function in restaurants. This practice is made most possible by people who are interested in developing their culinary talents and impressing guests by pleasantly surprising them with an unusual dish.

Thus, with regard to the selection of products, it is necessary to apply:

Seasonal products - the best quality and exclusively organic origin;
The freshest spices and herbs with a much brighter bouquet and rich in various vitamins;
Light natural oils (sunflower, olive, sesame, coconut).
Little presence of salt;
The least presence of sugar, trying to resort to alternatives (honey, fruit juices) in order to sweeten dishes.

These basics should not be forgotten by every housewife, who worries not only about taste, but also about the usefulness of a particular dish.

Important processes

We know that food must be processed at high temperatures so that harmful elements and bacteria do not enter the human body. In addition, the food product becomes softer during heat treatment, it is easier to crush and process it. Certain foods are by and large not digested by the digestive system until cooked.

By observing all sanitary standards, you can also increase the duration of storage of dishes, because after such processing, food is stored much more. Lovers of good cuisine will be able to appreciate the variety of tastes of the same type of product with a variety of thermal processing, since boiling, frying, stewing or simply steaming will give, for example, meat products a completely different taste.

However, it is required to take into account that vitamins are severely destroyed during cooking or other processing at high temperatures. For this reason, it is necessary to follow a number of practical recommendations on how to maintain the maximum availability of the necessary elements in the product. Vegetables should be boiled without draining the broth, or in the peel, under which there is an accumulation of vitamins and trace elements. It is preferable to process meat with steam. But in order to balance the loss of valuable elements, in spite of this, you need to serve greens or fresh vegetables as a side dish for meat dishes.

How to cook food properly

Be careful not to overcook the vegetables. Fast processing will help preserve their taste, vitamins, and well, look. Use stew vegetables - this is an exceptionally suitable method of cooking to preserve their nutritional qualities.

Do not reheat the finished dish either. When there is too much of it, it is better to take some dose and warm it up. But often this should not be done, because all important vitamins and minerals will go away.

Sanitary and hygienic rules for the preparation of food products

Cooking requires perfect cleanliness, careful observance of sanitary and hygienic recommendations. A factor in gastrointestinal ailments and foodborne intestinal infections can be not only poor-quality products, but also an unsanitary kitchen, kitchen utensils and appliances, negligence and inaccuracy, which are allowed during cooking. Flies, mice, cockroaches, rats are carriers of various contagious diseases.

Thorough and daily cleaning of the kitchen and places where there are many people is important both in a separate and especially in a communal apartment.

Preparatory preparation of products should be carried out no less carefully than, for example, boiling or frying. All processes of initial processing (washing, crumbling of products) should be carried out in such a way as to protect the food from the ingress of pathogenic microbes to the maximum.

Cutting and peeling vegetable products is necessary immediately before use or cooking.

Vitamin C is most in the outer layer of potatoes, so when peeling, the peel should be cut off in a thin layer, but it is better to boil it in the peel and remove the peel already from the boiled potatoes. When raw potatoes are peeled, they do not need to be stored for a long time, especially crushed and in water, since here they lose some of the vitamin C and salt.

Other vegetables also do not need to be kept peeled.

Peeled potatoes are placed in water so that they do not darken. Other vegetables do not need this.

Do not forget that baking soda destroys vitamins C and B1, therefore, when cooking vegetables or legumes, you should not put soda. Carotene (provitamin A) is destroyed by the addition of acids to food; in this regard, the norm is to put vinegar in a vinaigrette or salad before eating.

The fat remaining in the pan should be drained into a special dish, and the pan should be washed with warm water. Some housewives believe that the frying pan does not need to be cleaned after use, as there are residues of fat on it. This, of course, is wrong: not only fat remains, but also burnt crumbs, which next time will be able to spoil the newly fried food.

The rags used to remove the dishes from the fire must be used clean, they must be washed and changed more often.

Dairy products should never be left open, should be covered with neat gauze or paper.

Warm dishes are first covered with clean gauze or a towel, and as they cool, they are covered with a lid. In general, it is best to keep dishes not under a lid, but under a clean cloth.

The most hygienic for use in the kitchen are washcloths made from leftover parchment paper. Such washcloths are cheap and are thrown away after use. Ordinary washcloths and dish brushes need to be boiled more often with baking soda.

It is more hygienic and easier to wash the dishes immediately after the end of their use.

Never be afraid to do what you can't. Remember: the ark was built by amateurs. Professionals built the Titanic. Dessert without cheese is like a beauty without one eye - Jean-Antelme Brillat-SavarinSeize the moment. Think of all those women on the Titanic who forgot dessert. - Erma Bombeck My weaknesses are food and men. It's in that order. - Dolly Parton If you went to the store for bread, the chances that you will leave with only a loaf of bread is one in three billion. - Erma Bombeck All we need is love, but a little chocolate here and there won't hurt either. - Charles Schultz Don't put off until dinner what you can eat at lunch. - A.S. Pushkin I'm afraid of Hennessy heartburn or caviar allergy, that in a large apartment on Rublyovka I'll get lost at night and die. - KVN song Everything that I like in life is either immoral or it makes you fat. - Francois de La Rochefoucauld I use wine in my cooking. Sometimes I even add it to dishes. - V.S. Fields. How can you govern a country in which there are 246 varieties of cheese?" - Charles de Gaulle What a disgusting thing, what a disgusting thing is your aspic fish! - Hippolyte in the film "The Irony of Fate" I simply cannot eat caviar, but I have to force myself. - The heroine Audrey Totu in the film "Fatal Beauty" In major troubles, I deny myself everything except food and drink. Oscar Wilde What is the difference between a husband and a boyfriend? What, are you crazy? A dear friend flies in from afar for a minute - and you don’t have a cake! - Carlson, who lives on the roof. There is a bakery on our street called "Bonjour, croissant!" It makes me want to go to Paris and open a bakery " Hello, toast!” – Fran Lebowitz. - Marina R. The food here is absolutely terrible and the portions are too small. - Woody Allen Robot will never replace a human! - Cannibal If you want to know me, eat with me. - James Joyce Uh, dear! What is a peacock-mavlin? You don't see - we eat... - Genie from M-f "The Adventures of Munchausen" If the country does not have at least fifty varieties of cheese and good wine, then the country has reached the handle. Salvador Dali By chewing food thoroughly, you help society. - Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, "12 chairs" Nothing decorates the table like firecrackers in olive oil! - Popular wisdom. If guests suddenly come to you, and there is nothing in the house, go down to the cellar and take a leg of lamb. - Elena MolokhovetsA honey... I can't understand what the secret is... If there is honey... then it's not there right away! - Winnie the Pooh I will be photographed today for the magazine "Skilled Culinary". I need to take a shower and buy new insoles! - Freken BokYa has not eaten lobsters for three days. - A snickering official (KVN joke) Hunger is not an aunt - she will not run away into the forest. - Folk wisdom Nothing improves the taste of home-cooked meals like studying prices in a restaurant. - folk wisdom

Asparagus puree, I would say, is the easiest way to prepare this product: it does not require any special utensils, no special effort or care from the cook.

Another plus of this dish is that it is in asparagus puree that second-rate asparagus is processed (that is, crooked shoots and shoots with a diameter greater or less than optimal, as well as shoots with heavily polluted or damaged tops). Asparagus puree can serve as both a soup and a sauce.

This dish, of course, can be prepared with both green and white asparagus. But we already have so many recipes with green, so I decided to use white (by the way, more typical for Germany).

What is white asparagus, and how is it different from green asparagus? This is not so much a variety as a way of cultivation, although varieties, of course, can be cultivated on purpose. Green asparagus are ground shoots. White, pink, purple and yellow are also shoots, but growing underground, without access to light.

To achieve this effect, the ridges for planting asparagus are dug into the depths, and then high shafts are poured over the rhizomes - like boletus for planting potatoes, only even higher.

The soil is carefully smoothed and covered with a film. When the white top of the asparagus appears above the surface of the earth, it is, in fact, broken off at great depths with the help of a special spatula, which is led along the stem. The operation is carried out exclusively by hand; efficient machines for underground harvesting of asparagus have never been invented. For this reason, the product is not the cheapest and is considered a delicacy.

Step 1: Prepare the asparagus.

Rinse the asparagus under running warm water, then pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Lay on a cutting board and cut off the very tops, we will need them to decorate the finished soup.

Cut the rest into bite size pieces. In this case, it is necessary to remove the whitish hard part, since it is unsuitable for food and, accordingly, we will not need it for making soup.

Step 2: prepare the bow.

Peel the onion from the husk, rinse with cool water and cut into large pieces. It is enough to divide each bulb into 6-8 parts.

Step 3: Prepare the garlic.

Peel the garlic cloves from the husk and, like the onion, cut into large pieces.

Step 4: prepare the greens.

Rinse the greens with warm water, shake off moisture and chop with a kitchen knife into small pieces.

Step 5: Saute vegetables.

First, heat the olive oil in the bottom of the pan, put the onion and asparagus (all but the tops that we set aside) there and fry until golden brown. Then add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute more.

Step 6: Cook Asparagus Soup.

Pour one liter of preheated water into a saucepan with fried vegetables and bring everything to a boil. Cover with a lid, lower the heat and simmer some more 25 minutes. Don't forget to add salt and black pepper to taste at this stage as well.

Step 7: Prepare Asparagus for Garnish.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the tops of the asparagus. To do this, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and fry the pieces of vegetables we have set aside in it until a delicious golden brown.

Step 8: Bring the soup to full readiness.

When the soup is cooked, remove it from the heat. In a glass half filled with cold water, dilute the wheat flour, pour the resulting mixture into the pan. Then lower the blender there and chop the boiled asparagus with onions and garlic.
Return the resulting puree mass to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Then turn off the heat, add the chopped greens and serve the finished asparagus soup to the table.

Step 9: Serve the asparagus soup.

Pour the asparagus soup into serving bowls and garnish with the fried tops and serve immediately. To taste, you can offer croutons or crackers for the finished dish, but as for me, the soup is tasty anyway. Therefore, eat with pleasure, enjoying the taste and benefits.
Enjoy your meal!

To separate the juicy green part of the asparagus from the tough white part, you can simply break it. Press lightly and you will see that it itself has broken in the right place, and you have only the sprouts you need for cooking.

Instead of flour, you can also add milk to the asparagus soup. The taste of the dish will become more creamy.

Greens are not an obligatory part of the soup at all, they are rather like a pleasant addition to the overall taste palette, so choose for yourself whether to cook with or without it.

As the asparagus season arrives, young shoots are popping up in our kitchen. The high palatability of asparagus allows it to be widely used in cooking in any form: raw, baked, boiled, grilled. Fillings for sandwiches are made from it, added to salads and main dishes, and canned. Especially good are summer soups from and photos of which are later in the article.

General cooking rules

So that asparagus does not disappoint and fully reveals all the richness of taste, you need to be able to work with it, so here are a few tips:

Young shoots of asparagus are eaten, the collection of which begins in April and ends in July - early August.
It is best to use it immediately after purchase, as it fades very quickly. If you plan to cook not on the day of purchase, then you need to cut off the base of the stems, put them vertically in water, cover with foil and put in the refrigerator for no more than seven days.
Before cooking asparagus, its stems are cut off at the base and the top layer is removed from them.
Experienced cooks recommend taking a stainless steel pot for cooking asparagus soup.
The best option for heat treatment in terms of preserving nutrients is cooking, which must be carried out over low heat.
The duration of heat treatment depends on the variety. cook for about eight minutes, green thick - no more than five, green thin - only three minutes.
Boil the asparagus vertically, tying it into a bunch and placing it in the pot with the tops up (above the water) so that the lower hard parts of the stem are boiled down and the upper tender parts do not soften.

There are many recipes for asparagus soups. The main component in them, of course, is its fresh shoots with their indescribable specific taste. For those who love quick ways to prepare meals, below is the first recipe for mashed asparagus soup.

Very simple

All you need is:

0.5 kg of asparagus;
0.2 kg of sour cream;
broth or water - the amount depends on the desired thickness of the soup.
salt and ground black pepper to taste.

How to cook:

Cut off the tops (about 5 cm) from the stems, cut the remaining parts into smaller pieces and boil it all in water for about 8 minutes. Remove the tops to further decorate the finished dish with them, puree the rest of the soup. Add sour cream, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnishing each serving with a slice of asparagus.

Classic asparagus soup with cream

Incredibly tender, with a characteristic taste of asparagus, the dish will appeal even to those who do not like puree soups.

For half a kilogram of asparagus shoots you need to take:

chicken broth - 0.4 l;
half an onion;
flour - two tables. spoons;
butter - 30 g;
lemon juice - a teaspoon;
milk - a glass;
fat cream - 0.1 l;
salt and ground pepper - to taste.

Cooking order:

To get a tender asparagus soup, the lower parts of the young shoots must be cut off. Cut off the tops - they are prepared separately. Cut the remaining parts of the stems into pieces of 2-3 cm.
Put the asparagus (except the tops) and finely chopped onion in a saucepan, pour half a glass of chicken broth and cook until the asparagus is cooked under the lid (about 8 minutes).
Grind the resulting mixture with a blender.
Melt the butter on a low heat, put the flour, add pepper and salt and cook for two minutes. After that, pour in the broth and continue to cook until boiling. Now put the asparagus puree here and pour in the milk.
Pour the cream into a separate container, add a little of the resulting soup to them, mix. Then pour this cream into the soup, squeeze the lemon juice and heat the soup, but do not bring it to a boil.

With vermouth

Prepare the ingredients for the soup:

0.7 kg of asparagus;
750 ml chicken broth;
six tablespoons of butter;
three cloves of garlic;
60 ml dry vermouth;
180 ml of heavy cream;
ground pepper and salt to taste.

Work order:

Cut off the tender tops of the asparagus shoots (about five centimeters), cut the rest of the asparagus into smaller pieces - two centimeters.
In a saucepan, sauté chopped onion and garlic in four tablespoons of butter until translucent.
Add vermouth and continue to simmer until there is almost no liquid left.
Put the asparagus, cut into 2 cm pieces, pour in the chicken broth and cook, salt, pepper and cook until it starts to boil.
Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, covered.
Puree the resulting soup with a blender, strain through a sieve and add cream, if necessary, add salt and pepper.
The remaining asparagus (5 cm each) stew in a pan in two tablespoons of butter.
Pour soup into bowls and garnish with stewed asparagus pieces.

With cheese and mushrooms

From the products for the cream of asparagus soup you will need:

green asparagus - 100 grams;
potatoes - 0.7 kg;
one bulb;
olive oil;
butter;
chicken broth 0.8 l;
salt, ground pepper and herbs to taste.

To decorate the soup:

white mushrooms - 100 grams;
shallots - 130 grams;
soft cheese - 100 grams.

Cooking order:

Wash the asparagus, cut off the lower parts of the shoots, set aside three tops for decoration, cut the remaining parts into pieces of 0.5 cm. Cut the potatoes into cubes, finely chop the onion.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Put the asparagus, potatoes and onions there, add salt and lightly fry. Pour in the warm chicken broth to completely cover the vegetables and simmer for ten minutes. A few minutes before it's done, add the three tops of the asparagus shoots to the pot.
Pour some of the broth from the soup, put the rest in a blender, add olive oil and finely chopped parsley. Beat until smooth, then rub through a sieve, salt and pepper.
Lightly sauté shallots and porcini mushrooms in olive oil in a frying pan. Rub the cheese through a sieve until creamy, pour in the olive oil and pepper. Prepare quenelles from the resulting mass. Put mushrooms on a plate, then cheese dumplings. Pour the cream of asparagus soup over the edges of the plate.

Asparagus soup with avocado

Ingredients for two servings:

asparagus - four fresh shoots;
cucumber - half a small one;
avocado - 1/2 fruit;
lemon juice - a tablespoon;
nut butter - a teaspoon;
salt and ground pepper - to taste;
cold water - depending on the desired density;
some hard cheese for decoration.

Puree all ingredients with a blender, salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on plates and sprinkle. You can decorate the asparagus soup with herbs and seeds (see the photo of the dish below).

In duck broth

This soup requires green asparagus. For 300 grams of stems you need to take:

leek - 100 grams;
large potatoes - 1 tuber;
fat cream - 100 grams;
duck broth - 0.8 liters;
salt - half a teaspoon;
melted duck fat - a tablespoon;
ground black pepper - to taste.

Cooking steps:

Wash the asparagus, dry, cut off the thin top layer and cut off the tops.
Boil the upper parts in water for no longer than seven minutes, then remove and set aside.
Cut the onion into half rings and fry in a frying pan in duck fat.
Cut the bottom of the asparagus stalks into 2 cm pieces.
Peel the potatoes, rinse and cut into cubes or sticks.
Put the fried onions into the duck broth, then the potatoes and, after two minutes, the chopped lower parts of the stems.
Cook over very low heat until the potatoes are ready.
Puree the resulting soup with a blender, pour cream into it, add salt and pepper. Warm it up again, arrange on plates, decorating each serving with the tops of asparagus.

Summing up

There are a lot of types of asparagus soups: with shrimp, with rice, with meat, with pine nuts, and so on. While summer is in full swing, you can enjoy fresh asparagus dishes, and when the season is over, you can replace it with canned.

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