I'm not sure what got into me but there must be something about the heat that fried my brain. I mean, I actually made a pot of soup for dinner when it was a hot 35C day.
Or maybe it was the handsome Jamie Oliver who got my attention.
Or maybe it was the gift.
It was on Christmas Day when a family friend came to visit. She handed over me a card and present and asked me not to read the card till she left. I opened up a cute santa claus bag and found ....
A cookbook-Jamie at Home.
I was excited. I have sooo many cookbooks that I would like to own but finances doesn't always permit you to have everything. Besides, I have always believed in delayed gratification.
To cut the long story short, Jamie's asparagus soup caught my attention straight away. Perhaps it was his chapter on how to grow asparagus (and that stopped me complaining about the prices of asparagus straight away), or perhaps it was the lovely idea of adding a poached egg.
Unfortunately, when I arrived at the supermarket, I realised that wasn't any leeks for sale that week. That didn't stop me from grabbing 2 bunches of asparagus to give this a go.
Indeed, the poached egg added a creamy and sweet flavour to the soup. I added 4 cups of stock but I think it was wayyy too much, hence in the recipe below, I reduced it to 2-3 cups-do add in moderation.
Now, I wondered how it will taste like with leeks. hmm, I guess I have to wait till the asparagus are in season again.
Asparagus Soup (serves 2)
2 bunches of asparagus
about 2-3 cups of stock
1 chopped onion
1 leek (which I omitted)
Olive oil
2 or 3 free range eggs (and if u can afford it, go organic!)
Fresh bread-we used Vienna but I think Ciabetta will be nicer.
Prepare asparagus by chopping the tips up and leaving them aside. You can choose to snap the asparagus to remove the woody bits but I didn't. Chop the remaining middle pieces.
Heat up the olive oil. Add onions and cook till soft. Add in the asparagus (not the tips) and gently stir it for about 3-4 minutes. Add stock in and simmer for about 20 minutes or so. When the asparagus are soft, it's time to cool the soup down.
Using a hand-blender, whizz the soup. Return to heat. Add the tips in and simmer. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, heat a pan of water up. I'm a klutz, so I chose to cook my poached eggs one by one although Jamie Oliver stated in his book that he would cut the chase and cook all the eggs in one pan.
Toast bread.
Ladle soup up into bowls. Drain poached egg and slowly slide the egg onto the soup. Dip a piece of bread in and SERVE.
11 comments:
Oooh yum. I have 2 of Jamie's books but have not tried anything. I was tempted to do the mayonnaise when I came across the recipe. But I'm lazy with cook book stuff.
omg..dis looks scrumptious!!!
Wow! Looks so appetizing...By the way, I love to watch Jamie Oliver's cooking show.
I make asparagus soup often and like the poached egg twist. Jamie Oliver's cooking shows are fun to watch! Still have not got a cookbook of his ...hopefully someone will surprise me like you were :)
what a truly delcious recipe with or without the leeks
The asparagus soup looks yummy and simple... Lovely~ :)
singairshgirl-haha.. me too. I never follow the cook book instructions.. haha
joe- glad u like it!
celine- me too! he is so entertaining. or maybe it is his good looks + good food..can't decide which one!
m&ms-hehe.. try it with the poached egg. It adds a different dimension to it. and i hope someone will surprise you with the book too!
doggybloggy-thanks!
bigfish_chin- simple is the key.. haha
Wow...totally drool-some. Does this taste as awesome as it looks? heh....gotta give you props for making such perfect looking poached eggs!
nice addition with the poached eggs, will try this idea soon (i hope) :)
thanks for sharing, daphne
I love soup no matter what the weather is! Maybe it's cos I'm Cantonese??? Oooh, the poached egg really kicks things up a notch!
Love the addition of poached egg in there. Nice....:D
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