Spring is my favourite season! The tulips are starting to poke their colourful heads through the soil; temperatures are warming up, and, asparagus, green and white, are soon to be filling our market stalls.
I have created for you, a light and delicious soup featuring green asparagus. While the white variety is abundant in Europe, I prefer the green for its more intense flavour and quicker cooking time. Friends, you can have this soup made top to bottom, in 30 minutes. And if you don’t have asparagus on hand, try peas, or courgette. I believe they will work with equal success and deliciousness!
May the freshness of this season soon make her way to our doorsteps any day now. Eat good food 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium cooking onion, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped into 2cm pieces
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 500 grams fresh asparagus, chopped, (woody parts removed)
- 750ml boiling water
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- freshly cracked pepper, and sea salt, to taste
- fresh basil for garnish
Directions
On a medium flame, heat the oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot and gently sweat the onion and celery for 4 – 5 minutes. Add the asparagus, and 1/2 tsp salt, and give it a stir for about a minute.
Next, add the boiling water and let this gently bubble away, lid on, for another 10 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and fresh basil and stir to incorporate. Purée the soup with a handheld blender, or, transfer to an upright blender and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Re-heat if necessary, and enjoy, garnished with fresh basil and a few thinly shaved pieces of asparagus!