Asparagus and Mushroom Soup [vegetarian]

I have always preferred green asparagus, mainly because it is easier to prepare. You can just cut away the  woody end of its stem, but I prefer to bend its bottom part till it breaks. Then, it breaks just in the right place so you end up with the nice and tender vegetable without the woody part.

White asparagus is trickier: not only do you have to remove woody ends, but you also have to peel it, as its skin can be very stringy. But it has more delicate taste then the green one due to the way it is grown: white asparagus is cultivated underground to stop chlorophyll development.

When you prepare white asparagus, you have to be very careful as it not only has delicate taste, but it also has a delicate texture and  breaks easily. Luckily, in this recipe, you do not need to worry about it as - except for the top ends – all the other parts should be chopped as the soup will be liquidises anyway. So maybe this soup will be for me a beginning of a new relationship with white asparagus?

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

500g white asparagus,

300g mushrooms,

1l vegetable stock,

50ml milk,

1 tbsp butter,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Snip the woody endings of the asparagus, peel it and cut into 3-4 cm pieces (keep the top ends separately).
2. Wash, dry and slice the mushrooms. Keep some slices aside together with the asparagus tops for garnish.
3. Pour the stock into a pot, add the vegetables and cook the soup for approx. 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the milk, adjust the seasoning and liquidize the soup. If you want to make sure there are no stringy pieces of asparagus, strain the soup through a sieve.
5. In a frying pan melt the butter on a medium heat, add the asparagus tops and mushroom’s slices and fry them stirring for 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms are golden.
6. Serve the soup garnished with the fried vegetables.