57. Cream of Asparagus Soup - No-Stone Soup

As a former public school teacher, I often read to my students. One of my favorite stories was Stone Soup. The story tells of a ragged group of travelers who arrive in a village, carrying with them their only possession...an empty iron pot. No one in the village will give these poor people food, so the travelers hit upon a plan. They fill the pot with water and put it over a campfire right in the middle of the village square. They also add a large stone to the water in the pot and stand back and wait.

One by one, as curious villagers walk by, the travelers tell them that stone soup is cooking. They are also told that the soup would be much better if it had just one more ingredient. Each of the townsfolk feels impressed to add one thing to the pot. Little by little, with each addition, the soup becomes a delicious, savory meal to be enjoyed by all.

While Stone Soup taught my students about sharing, I enjoyed  the concept of putting a lot of 'nothings' together to make a delicious 'something'. A search through my refrigerator from time to time to often rewards me with little 'nothings' I can pull out and use to make a tasty soup.

Today's post is the result of such a search...I found asparagus and celery that needed to be used. The broth and the lemon juice had been left over from previous recipes and frozen into cubes...I put them all in the pot with a few other things...all I needed was a good, big stone!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1-2 T oil

1 C asparagus, fresh or frozen

1 green onion, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 C chicken broth

3 T lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 C milk

3 T flour

Cut asparagus into one-inch pieces. Heat saucepan over med-high heat. Add oil and when hot, toss in asparagus, onion and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until tender. Add broth, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Add mixture to a blender or food processer and blend until smooth. Pour mixture back into saucepan. Mix flour and milk with a wire whisk in a small dish. Slowly add mixture to saucepan, whisking continuously. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes until thickened. Serves 2-3.

Side: Green onion biscuits #52