K’s Kitchen: Transforming asparagus into soup

By Kathryn Reed

Asparagus has a tremendous amount of health benefits and it can be cooked in so many different ways.

And now is the time to be eating it, although it has a long growing season in California. The first harvest – January-April – is in the southern desert valleys. Then February-May is when the San Joaquin Valley and Delta regions are picking the spears. The Central Coast harvest is from March to mid-June.

It is rich in vitamins B and C, as well as calcium and iron.

“As a result of its very strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrient composition, we would definitely expect to see a food like asparagus showing up as a risk reducer for certain cancers. Chronic, excessive inflammation and chronic oxidative stress are risk factors for a variety of cancer types, and both unwanted phenomena are related to deficient dietary intake of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients — exactly the kind of nutrients that are especially plentiful in asparagus,” according to the World’s Healthiest Foods website.

Despite it being so healthy, I turned it into a rich, somewhat unhealthy soup. While it tasted OK without the sour cream, it did seem like it was missing something. I would start with less sour cream and keep adding until you get the flavor you like.

If I were to serve this for guests I would put a garnish on top – maybe chopped chives. Even a few grinds of pepper will spruce it up a bit.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

1 T butter

1 leek, chopped

2 small-medium red potatoes, chopped

1 pound (bunch) asparagus, chopped

4 C vegetable broth

½ tsp lavender salt

8 ounces low fat sour cream

Pepper, to taste

Melt butter in soup pot. Add leek, cook about 5 minutes. Add potato, cook about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and stir all veggies together. Add broth and bring to boil.

Let mixture cool a bit. Then puree batches in a blender. Return to pot. Add sour cream. Stir. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve hot.