It’s asparagus season. The appearance of bunches of vividly green or ghostly white asparagus at the local market is a harbinger of spring, calling for a seasonal celebration of this often unappreciated vegetable with special recipes for soups, omelets, soufflées, tarts and even asparagus desserts. And now is the time to savor the difference in flavor between imported, year-round available stalks and each spring’s freshly-harvested-from-the-earth.
At a recent reunion lunch in Washington, DC with my longtime friend Rhona Pavis, we spent most of our time together remembering our long ago April travel to Europe and, in particular, our few days in Portugal. We particularly both remembered a special lunch with a spectacular asparagus soup.
As first time visitors to Portugal, we toured the usual historic sites. Having just spent a few days in Paris with a trip to Versailles, we were eager to explore Portugal’s royal palace, described in guide books as “Portugal’s Versailles.” So one rainy day, we booked the six-mile train ride from Lisbon to Queluz.
But we were disappointed to find that the National Palace of Queluz was nothing like Versailles. For one thing, the palace seemed so small, perhaps one tenth the size of Versailles, and its physical appearance struck us as more whimsical than majestic. Although the Palace of Queluz could certainly claim inherent architectural beauty, it then looked a little down-at-the-heels and lifeless as a royal residence. Nonetheless, this palace and its gardens (built by King Pedro III in the eighteenth century as a summer retreat) was and still is regarded as a leading example of the rococo and neoclassical architectural styles and renown for the palace’s sculptures, ornate fountains and waterfalls, a Grand Canal, numerous lakes, and historically decorated ceramic tiles. But centuries of exposure to the elements and natural aging (and probably not much maintenance) had left the buildings and extraordinary sculptures in poor condition.
After exploring the palace grounds for several hours, we needed warmth and sustenance, and a guide directed us to a restaurant inside the palace courtyard. As we wandered through a pink archway to the royal courtyard toward the restaurant, we were transported to a time when there was life at the palace.
We finally located the ivy-covered entrance to Cozinha Velha (“Old Kitchen” in Portuguese), which is when we realized that this restaurant is actually located in the old kitchen of the Palace of Queluz. Warmth and delicious smells enveloped us as we opened Cozinha Velha’s door and entered its comforting shelter. The old palace kitchen with its stone fireplace, enormous preparation table, now used as a dessert buffet, chimneys, ancient copperware and hooks for roasting whole animals still remained. We imagined how teams of cooks prepared royal meals centuries earlier.
Sitting at a small table by a window in this charming, elegant setting helped us forget that we were two young and low-budget tourists, and we decided to splurge on this particular lunch – we both ordered asparagus soup. I don’t now recall the entire menu but vaguely remember that it was an all-asparagus menu, similar to the annual German Spargelkarte (the all-asparagus menu featuring asparagus in all courses, prepared in celebration of the first asparagus of the season). In long retrospect, I suspect that between Rhona and me, our budget all those years ago dictated our lunch selection: asparagus soup, but with a bottle of Vinho Verde (which, despite its translated name “Green Wine,” is young, slightly effervescent Portuguese white wine).
But the most surprising consequence of that April lunch of asparagus soup and Vinho Verde in Portugal with Rhona decades ago at Cozinha Velka is that both Rhona and I still remember it with so much affection to still be talking about it with appreciation. When Rhona and I met again recently and jointly remembered that day, I told her that when I recall that occasion now, I think about the color green. The vibrant spring greenery of the palace gardens and the shiny wet ivy at the entrance to Cozinha Velha, a table set with green Portuguese cabbage pottery and white china, the green bottles of Vinho Verde and the vividly green asparagus soup.
After reminiscing with Rhona last month, I thought more about our nostalgia for that asparagus soup experience in Portugal, and what made it special. And I thought about it this spring, when I saw fresh asparagus at outdoor markets and in grocery stores. What was the magic in that Portugal asparagus soup recipe?
I experimented with several different recipes. Some versions of asparagus soup included too little asparagus and barely tasted of asparagus. Other recipes contained more asparagus, but tasted bland. In still other recipes, the milk or cream overwhelmed the asparagus. Eventually, I concluded that I needed to find a recipe that could replicate the Portuguese asparagus soup’s intense fresh asparagus flavor, its silken texture and its bright green color.
So I bought several pounds of newly harvested asparagus and embarked on recreating that memorable soup. My goal was to capture the essence of young asparagus and smooth texture of the original, avoiding any resemblance to canned pastel cream of asparagus soup which neither tastes of cream nor asparagus. I tinkered with several recipes and finally settled on adapting a recipe I found on Epicurious. I think I succeeded in preparing a sublimely smooth soup with the clean, bright flavor of asparagus, lightly mellowed by the crème fraîche and heavy cream.
Asparagus Soup á la Cozinha Velha
2 ½ pounds (1 kilo) green asparagus
3 shallots, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup crème fraiche
¼ cup heavy cream, or more to taste and consistency
¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Preparing asparagus: Trim ½ inch of the woody end of each stalk. With a peeler, also peel 1 ½ inches from the bottom of each stalk. Cut 1 ½ inches of the tips from 24 asparagus and reserve for garnish. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into ½ inch pieces.
Cooking asparagus: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large stock pot over moderate heat. Add shallots, sautéing until softened and translucent, but not browned. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste; then cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and cool for 15 minutes.
Preparing garnish: While asparagus is cooking, create an ice bath by placing 1 cup each of ice and water into a bowl. Bring 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling in a 1 quart saucepan. Add reserved asparagus tips and cook for 3-4 minutes. Scoop out asparagus tips with a slotted spoon and place in ice bath. When asparagus tips are chilled, drain and set aside for garnish.
Finishing soup: Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Transfer each batch to a large bowl and, when puréeing is complete, return soup to stock pot. Stir in crème fraiche and cream, adding more cream as necessary to reach desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper. Reheat soup to a simmer, but do not boil. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in lemon juice. Ladle in bowls and garnish with asparagus tips.
Makes 4 servings
One year ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/memorial-day-picnic-a-la-reuben/