Grilled and Chilled Asparagus & Leek Soup

Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen

June 4

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. 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.

First trim off the tough ends of the asparagus with a gentle break where it wants to.

Prep the leek for grilling by slicing lengthwise only half way up to keep it from falling apart on the grill.

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.

Toss all the trimmings in a pot and cover with water. Simmer for a half hour, then cool and strain.

After the food processor, add stock a bit at a time until you are where you want to be.

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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