I love the challenge of having a dish at a great restaurant and recreating it at home. We dined at No. 246, one of our favorite Decatur restaurants, on Friday with our good friends, Brenda and Julie. I started dinner with a delicious and beautifully presented asparagus soup. I knew the minute I tasted it that I wanted it in my culinary repertoire.
In this post, I’m sharing my version of the soup that I enjoyed on Friday night. This soup is like a blank canvas and it was great fun decorating each bowl. The ribbons of thinly sliced asparagus along with the herbs not only make a beautiful presentation, but they give the soup some texture and crunch. To create the ribbons, lay the asparagus spear on a cutting board and run the peeler along the spear.
Asparagus makes an appearance in gardens this time of year so a soup made from this wonderful vegetable is the perfect spring starter for any meal. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 asparagus spears, sliced into thin ribbons (for garnish)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 leek, white part only, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds fresh, trimmed asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup high quality white wine
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
6 large basil leaves
1/2 cup half and half
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 ounces lump crabmeat
Sprigs of fresh dill and basil leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Prepare asparagus ribbons by laying spears on cutting board and running vegetable peeler along the spears.
2. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.
3. Add shallots, leek, and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add asparagus, chicken stock, wine, salt, and pepper to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes or until asparagus is tender.
5. Remove pot from heat. Add chopped dill and basil leaves and in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor. Return soup to pot and add half and half. Move pot back to cook top, add salt an pepper as needed, and heat through.
6. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and serve immediately. Garnish each bowl with crabmeat, fresh dill sprig, basil leaves, and asparagus ribbons.
https://southernboydishes.com/2013/05/14/asparagus-soup-with-lump-crabmeat/
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