Robin Ellis

A simple soup for a jet-lagged cook to prepare for guests who are arriving tonight.

Soup is a good option when people may have had asparagus just once too often–towards the end of the season.

You can add the parmesan to the soup and heat it through before serving or–as suggested–leave to the guests to add to their bowls.

for 4

450gms/1lb asparagus–woody stalk ends and tips removed

1/2 a small onion–chopped

1 clove of garlic–chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 oz butter

450ml/1 pint stock–I use organic vegetable stock cubes

225ml/1/2 pint asparagus “water”–that in which you have simmered the woody stalk ends and the tips

salt

100gms/4 oz prosciutto–diced and sautéed to crisp

100gms/4 oz  parmesan cheese–grated

• Simmer the stalk ends in 225ml /1/2 pint of water, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Discard the stalks and–
• –using the same  water, simmer the tips, covered, until tender–about 5 minutes– keep the water and reserve the tips to serve with the soup.
• Sweat the onion and the garlic gently, covered, in the oil and butter for 5 minutes.
• Add the asparagus and a little salt (remembering that the stock cubes will have salt in them) and sweat, covered, for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the drained asparagus water and the stock, cover and cook gently for 20 minutes.
• Liquidise the soup to a smooth finish.
• Serve–hot–with the tips, the cheese and the prosciutto on the side, for guests to add as they please.