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This asparagus broccoli soup is the combination of a couple of classic spring/summer recipes that makes for a perfect supper on any night.
First of all, we have super green soup made with spring fresh asparagus, broccoli and spinach, with the flavours of basil and garlic. This is based on a classic soup pistou, which is a traditional summer soup made with finely chopped vegetables with ‘pistou’, a sauce made with fresh basil, garlic and olive oil pounded down in a pestle and mortar, stirred through. Then we have a classic dish which is the pairing of tender yet firm spears of asparagus topped with a perfectly runny poached egg. The combination of the two dishes elevates a light yet satisfying soup into a fun and easy-to-make meal, bursting with flavour and full of healthy greens.
Inspired by pistou
The pistou aspect of this asparagus broccoli soup is not only reflected in the flavours of basil and garlic but its texture as it resembles that of a loose sauce like a pesto or chimichurri rather than a finely blended creamy soup. This is very easy to create by simply blending the ingredients at a low speed or at short bursts in a blender. Spears of perfectly cooked asparagus are then layered on top which make a perfect nest for an unctuous yolky poached egg to sit on. The textures of the broccoli and asparagus remain intact so that each individual flavour can be picked up but also compliments the light flavoursome stock permeated with spinach and basil. This vibrant green pistou soup looks even more appetising with a golden oozing yolk so be sure to mop up every last bite.
Asparagus broccoli soup with Mediterranean flavours
Pistou is a French Provençal sauce that is made by grinding down basil and garlic with olive oil in a pestle and mortar. It is similar to that of the Ligurian sauce pesto although it does not contain pine nuts or cheese. The similarities of the two condiments have meant that the French and Italians have always fought over who created the recipe, but for this dish, we are just using French pistou.
Whilst a traditional soup pistou would be made with an array of Mediterranean vegetables including carrots, beans and tomatoes, for this pistou soup recipe, we have focused on using just the green vegetables. This way, we are highlighting the ingredients that best marry these two recipes together.
Green fresh asparagus
Asparagus plays a major part in this recipe and believe it or not, it is one of the oldest ingredients in the world with one recipe found in Apicius’s De re Coquinaria, one of the oldest surviving recipe books dating back to ancient Rome. Even as far back as 3000BC asparagus was depicted on wall reliefs in ancient Egypt too. That is a lot of years for civilization to perfect how to cook asparagus. With this asparagus broccoli soup, we like to have some perfectly cooked whole spears that are not too soft and not too tough to use as a trestle to place our poached egg on.
Native to Europe and Western Asia, asparagus comes in different colours from white to green and even purple. The edible ivory variety which are covered in soil to avoid photosynthesis and therefore stay white are often known as the king of vegetables. They have a sublime sweet flavour and look incredible. These are a must to use if you are able to source them fresh, if not use the much more common fine green variety rather than using the jarred asparagus as they will become too soft when cooking them. Generally speaking, the older asparagus gets the more woody they become so, younger shoots are best used to get the best texture.
Asparagus broccoli soup - a green super soup
To compliment the asparagus and create a vivid green soup with amazing textures we use spinach and broccoli. These vegetables are not only very tasty, they are low in calories yet high in essential vitamins and minerals. They provide a healthy dose of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and folate. These vegetables also contain other phytonutrients such as flavonoids which are exceptionally potent antioxidants. Asparagus is high in three flavonoids, quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol which studies have linked to the prevention of chronic diseases. This is not just a green soup, this is a super green soup.
One of the unique attributes this soup has is that it is not smooth. The vegetables still retain a little bite and are all suspended together in a flavoursome stock, this way the vegetables don’t need to actually cook as long as you would think.
How to make asparagus broccoli soup
The base of many soups and sauces starts with some chopped shallot to add a depth of flavour and this is no different. Start by adding some finely diced banana shallot into a heavy-based pan with a little olive oil. Next, add the asparagus. You will want to keep 2-3 asparagus spears whole for the presentation at the end, so count how many you will need whole but cut the rest into thirds but add the whole lot to the pan.
Sautéing asparagus does a few things, first of all it will ever so lightly char some of the skin. This not only adds flavour but it colours the asparagus nicely too and gives a little extra texture. You only need to fry them, moving them around in the hot oil a little bit for not much more than 5 minutes. This gives them the perfect bite. Remove the whole spears and set them aside but leave the cut asparagus in with the shallot.
Next, add the fresh spinach to wilt followed by a litre of chicken stock (even vegetable stock or Dashi if you prefer) along with broccoli florets and basil. At this point it only takes 5-6 minutes of simmering for the vegetables to be cooked.
To create the pesto-like texture which soup pistou is famous for, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender or using a stick blender, process on a very low setting or at very short sharp intervals so that the soup does not blend smoothly, a loose pesto texture is what you are looking for.
A poached egg makes it soup heaven
The last aspect of this soup before assembling it all together is to poach a soft egg.
Bring a pan of salted water to a simmer. Crack the eggs into a small ramekin or cup first then slowly submerge the egg inside the ramekin into the water and slowly pour it out. Repeat the process until you have all your eggs in the water. Simmer the eggs for about three minutes for a soft poached egg then slowly pour cold water into the pan until the water is tepid to touch to keep the eggs warm whilst not continuing to cook them until you are ready to serve.
Ladle equal portions of the soup into bowls and then arrange 2-3 spears of your cooked asparagus on top followed by a poached egg and serve straight away.
Like most recipes, ingredients can be interchanged and the subtle addition of even one extra ingredient can transform the final taste. For example, we have used fresh garlic and basil for our pistou flavour, but you could certainly use a tablespoon of pesto to give a more Italian flavour. This could be complimented with a healthy grating of Parmesan at the end. Instead of chicken stock, you could use dashi which is a Japanese stock prepared with kombu seaweed. A little soy sauce and sesame oil to drizzle over at the end will give this a wonderful Far Eastern twist. Whatever your flavour, enjoy your soup.
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Asparagus broccoli soup recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pan
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 200 g of fresh asparagus, 8-12 spears left intact, the rest chopped
- 200 g of broccoli, cut into florets
- 100 g of fresh spinach
- 1 banana shallot, finely diced (you can use a white onion if you don't have shallots)
- 12 g of fresh basil (a handful)
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 liter or 4 cups of chicken/vegetable stock, or dashi stock if preferred
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Bring a heavy-based pan or casserole dish to medium heat with some olive oil, add the shallots and all the asparagus and sauté for 4-5 minutes gently moving the asparagus around in the oil to lightly char.
- Remove the entire asparagus spears and set aside.
- Add the spinach to the pan to wilt.
- Pour in the stock along with the broccoli and basil leaves and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables are just tender but still have a slight bite.
- Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to a simmer, crack each egg into a ramekin and gently lower the ramekin into the water and gently tip the egg out and poach for up to 4 minutes for a soft yolk. Remove the eggs from the water and keep warm in a bowl of tepid water.
- Transfer the soup to a blender (in batches if required) or using a stick blender, process in short sharp bursts to create a pesto-like texture.
- Ladle the soup equally into bowls and arrange 2-3 asparagus spears on top. Place a poached egg on the asparagus and serve straight away.
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