Recipe - Asparagus and Spinach Soup

Our second seasonal recipe.  

We went into Granada recently to meet our architects, and as we wandered up Calle San Anton we passed a stall selling fresh fruit and vegetables. This smallholder is often to be found on this street, and he has the most lovely produce.  Stacked on one end of his stall on this particular day were bundles and bundles of asparagus, all picked that day.  We couldn’t resist and bought 1 kg of the stuff and then wondered how we’d work our way through it. Easy! Make a soup.

Asparagus and Spinach Soup.

Ingredients

350g fresh asparagus, with any woody parts of the stalk removed.
2 finely chopped medium onions
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 large handfuls of spinach
700ml of chicken stock (I make this with 2 stock cubes in boiling water)
Squirt of fresh lemon juice

Method

This is the quickest and easiest soup, and it is perfect for Spring and early Summer when asparagus is in season. It can also be made and then frozen, should you so wish.

Finally chop the onion and fry gently in some olive oil to soften it, and then add the chopped garlic. Chop the asparagus into 5/6cm lengths and then rinse well to get rid of any remaining soil.

Add the asparagus to the onion and garlic and cook for 5 - 10 minutes until just soft.

Add the spinach and stir all the ingredients together as the spinach starts to wilt.  Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.  Cook gently for a few minutes and add salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, again to taste.

Using a hand blender, blitz the soup and then serve, topped with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh crusty bread.  Yum!