Roasted Asparagus Soup

Soup is good food. I like all sorts, from the lighter brothy soups to hearty bean soups, to thick, satisfying chowders. Pureed vegetable soups, though, are among the quickest and easiest to make, and they can be incredibly tasty.

Asparagus is amazing lightly steamed or flash-cooked in a stir-fry. Toss it with olive oil and salt and then roast it, though, and you deepen the flavor immensely. I'll often prepare asparagus and shallots this way and serve that as a veggie side dish.

See how delicious it is?

Sometimes I'll take it step further and combine the roasted asparagus with roasted shallot, add some fresh herbs and puree it with some broth for a criminally easy soup.

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Herbed Cheese Crisp

Serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a main course

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 shallot, peeled and cut in half
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• fresh thyme
• 1 T creamy-style cottage cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss the asparagus and shallot with olive oil, and hit it with a little salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes, flipping them or shaking the pan t toss them after 10 minutes or so.
3. Let the asparagus and shallot cool for about 10 minutes, and then puree in a blender with the 1/2 cup of the broth.
4. Add some thyme, salt and pepper and cottage cheese and continue to blend until it is the right consistency for you, adding more broth as needed.
5. Mix together the shredded parm, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme and drop it into mounds on a Silpat-covered cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned and starting to crisp up - I didn't let mine cook enough so they were chewy rather than crunchy, but they were still addictive.
7. Top the soup with a crisp, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

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