Like many a condiment, the lemon oil you combine at the end of this recipe is what makes this soup sing. Use this technique to drizzle over fish or chicken. I love making big batches of this soup to serve on a cold and lazy night with a large chunk of crust whole grain bread.
Ingredients
9ouncesFresh spinach leaves
2TbspSalt
20ouncesAsparagusabout two large bunches
2TbspOlive oil
1largeYellow onionor two snmaller
1Shallot
4clovesGarlicpeeled
1tspKosher salt
1/4tspBlack pepper
1cupMilk
1/2cupCreme fraiche or whole milk yogurt
1Lemon
2TbspOlive oil
Instructions
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil with 2 Tbsps salt. Once boiling, blanch the spinach for 30 seconds in the water and remove immediately into a separate colander over a bowl.
Cut the asparagus just where the stalks naturally break (try to snap one and see where they go from soft to snappy). Boil these in the spinach water until tender (about 10 minutes).
While the asparagus is cooking, dice the onion and shallot and sweat with olive oil in a large saute pan with the garlic. Once soft, add the asparagus and toss into the onions for 2-3 minutes.
Place the asparagus and spinach in a blender and puree on highest speed for 3-4 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of milk and the crème fraiche along with the juice of half a lemon. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
Juice the other half of the lemon with the 2 Tbsps of oil. Garnish the soup with a touch of lemon oil.