Friday, December 11, 2009

Look What's Cookin

Creamy Asparagus Soup, with Sweet Potatoe Fries, Gourmet Burgers, and a Salad
I've been wanting to make this soup for a while. We love asparagus around here and I could eat
soup for every meal - really. I can't take credit for the recipe - found it here online. And since I didn't - and wouldn't - change anything about it,
it is important to give credit where credit is due. Excellent Soup Elise! and pretty easy to boot!
It was also adapted from a recipe in Gourmet Magazine - over which I actually took some time
to mourn when it's death was announced this last fall. However, the latest and last cook book, Gourmet Today, recently hit the shelves and is sure to become hard to get! **I am definitely hoping for this one from Santa!**

Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lbs asparagus
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp dry vermouth
  • A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper

METHOD

asparagus-soup-1.jpg
1 Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

asparagus-soup-2.jpg2 Cook onion in butter in a 4 or 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

asparagus-soup-3.jpg3 While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

4 Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. If you want a very creamy texture, you can put the purée through a food mill or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in cream. Stir in vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with asparagus tips. Serves 4-6.

Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet magazine.



Now you know that looks good! I loved the thyme and the bright flavor the citrus added. So very yummy! Oh - and p.s. - I realized that I did change the recipe - no vermouth for me.
Wouldn't know if it made a difference or not - never going to know. Delish to the last spoonful!

The meatballs are baked, not fried and were just this lazy cooks cheating way of satisfying my husbands need to have meat with just about every meal. :) They are a super easy way to get the burger flavor with much less work.

Baked Hamburger Meatballs
1-2 lbs ground burger
3-5 teaspoons Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 dash (or 5) Garlic Powder
1 dash onion powder
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 425. Mix meat and spices until incorporated. No need to roll in balls. Simply grab in rounded tablespoon chunks and place about 1 inch apart on a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides). If you use a regular cookie sheet, you'll end up with a 'smoky' meatballs from the drippings combining with a very hot oven! But if that's what you're going for, and you just love to get in there and scrub out your oven, by all means, use a cookie sheet.
Bake for 25-35 minutes. I like mine crispy on the outside, so I let them cook as long as I can before Mr. Peach comes to peek and pulls them out with out even asking me first.

Sweet Potato Fries
Yes, I love these! As fast and easy as other 'prepared' stuff from the store - but soooooo much better for you! How can one go wrong with that? Besides, do as my lovies do and smother them with sour cream. All of the sudden, not so great for ya. But I have to admit, Mr. Peach did stumble on to something there.

Total time in the kitchen? 40 minutes.

1 comment:

The Kooky Queen--Rachel said...

Oh how you shame me! I wish I could cook like that!!! Maybe I can hire you. :)