Like suitors proffering lovely flower bouquets, young men stood along the side of the road offering beautiful bunches of fresh green asparagus.
It was a long-ago trip and we were on the road from Rabat to Tangier. I was enjoying the green countryside, but I had expected arid flatlands. Obviously, I should have done my homework about Morocco. Forty percent of their workforce works in agriculture.
I have a special memory of that asparagus…and of that beautiful drive.
It turns out that asparagus has been a common crop around the Mediterranean for a very long time. The Romans, Greeks and Egyptians all grew asparagus–using it for medicines, rituals and food. Traces of asparagus (and figs and melons) have been found buried in the pyramids at Sakkara. (Asparagus, figs and melons! That combination sounds like it would make for a great food board–with or without the hieroglyphics!) Interestingly, the asparagus stalk as we know it today has changed quite a bit from those times. A Roman asparagus spear reportedly could weigh as much as one third of a pound. Wow!
There have been some interesting names for asparagus, too. It has variously been called sperage, sparrow grass, and (in Turkey) kuskonmaz which is loosely translated as “a bird won’t land (on it).” I’m thinking I will call it sparow grass forever. I’ll probably get some odd stares at Jon’s Market but sparrow grass is a wonderful name.
So, whatever the name and provenance, let’s enjoy some asparagus today in the form of this truly wonderful soup! Trust me, I know a special soup when I taste one and this is a great soup.( There are more than fifty soup recipes posted on Blue Cayenne, by the way. Just type soup in the search bar on this page. )
This Cream of Asparagus Sparrow Grass Soup recipe was originally inspired by one that appears on the Kitchn site here. I personalized my cream of asparagus soup with peas, but you could make a lot of great additions to this soup—cheese, carrots, potatoes, leeks. I’m thinking mild red lentils might work, too.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus (trimmed and chopped)
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 4 C. vegetable broth
- 1/2 C. peas
- 1/4 to 1/2 C. heavy cream
- Salt
- Lemon Juice to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Clean and trim asparagus, setting some tips aside for garnish.
- Step 2 Melt the butter in your soup pan. Sauté your trimmed and chopped asparagus spears and chopped onion in the butter until the vegetables have softened.
- Step 3 Add vegetable broth to your soup pot with the asparagus and onion. Bring the broth to a simmer and add peas. Simmer for a few minutes until all of the vegetables are tender.
- Step 4 Cool the cooked vegetables and broth. Blend until you have a smooth soup. Stir in cream (or half and half). You can also thin your soup with additional vegetable broth. Add lemon juice to your taste.
- Step 5 Serve garnished with asparagus tips you’ve briefly poached in boiling water.
