Let’s play a little foodie word association game to start your Tuesday off right! This is how it works – I’m going to list a bunch of foods and the first word or two that comes to mind after I type them out. You can even play along in the comments section if you’re so inclined! I promise it’s fun. Ok here we go…
Apple…Red
Banana…Smoothies
Chocolate…An obsession
Quinoa…Protein
Peanut…Butter
Almond…Milk
Coffee…Ice cream
Spinach…Leafy
Peas…Gross
Asparagus…Smelly pee
Yes, you read that right. Whenever I think of asparagus, I think of smelly pee. I can’t help it. If you’re an asparagus eater and have never smelled “the scent,” you need to get your nose checked. There’s no way you can miss it!
So you can imagine the first thought that came to mind when my sister shared an Asparagus Soup recipe with me! Well, I figured that since smelly urine has never led me to not eat roasted asparagus before, why should it stop me from making soup out if it. It won’t, and it didn’t!
My inspiration came from this recipe, but because I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients on hand, I had to improvise a bit. Go figure!
With that being said, you must trust me with this recipe. The combination of ingredients I came up with may sound a little strange at first, but believe me when I say, this soup is delicious. Try it alongside a grilled cheese, and you have the perfect dinner ready in no time flat. That is a Parita promise!
Asparagus Soup
3-4 cups chopped asparagus (1/2 inch pieces)
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 cups almond milk
pinch of nutmeg
salt, black pepper, and red pepper powder* to taste
2 teaspoons Earth Balance
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add asparagus, water, rosemary, parsley, and garlic. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Puree asparagus mixture in a blender until smooth, being very careful as the mixture is extremely hot. Place a large sauce pan on medium heat, add flour and almond milk, and whisk until smooth. Slowly pore in asparagus mixture and stir until combined. Add nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and red pepper powder. Before serving, add Earth Balance and stir until combined.
*I use an Indian red pepper powder (marchu) in a lot of my non-Indian dishes because it delivers a lot of heat and flavor. If you were to buy any Indian spice, this one should be it. Again, you just have to trust me!
This soup is so flavorful, creamy, and rich. And because of the two different kinds of pepper, there’s a subtle spiciness that works really well with the combination of ingredients.
Smelly pee and all – this soup is a winner!
Pick a few of the foods listed at the beginning of the post and tell me the first word or two that comes to mind when you think of them!