I have policy that I don't put recipes out here until after I've served them at least twice with good results. However, this is sooooooooooo good (and so easy) that, as Bill Murray once said, "it's really more of a guideline than a policy."
Thanks to the San Jose Mercury News food editors and Nicholas Boer at the Contra Costa Times. The recipe makes four servings.
| A. | asparagus | 2 pounds | Break the asparagus spears in two by bending each until it breaks. Keep both parts. |
| chicken broth | large box | ||
| spinach, fresh | 1 bunch | Remove and discard the stems. Wash leaves completely. | |
Put the tough stem ends of the asparagus spears into a pot with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer 10 minutes. While that's cooking, cut the asparagus tips into one inch chunks. When the 10 minutes are up, remove the asparagus stems from the pot and discard. Place the asparagus tips in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat a bit, cover, and let cook 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat add the spinach leaves. Stir them into the broth so that they wilt. |
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| B. | cayenne pepper | pinch | |
| salt | pinch | ||
| almonds, slivered | handful | ||
Place the soup into a blender. Be careful; when blenderizing hot liquids the air in the blender will expand and throw the contents everywhere! You need to keep the top stopper open so that the hot air can escape the blender. Cover it lightly with a dish towel. Puree the soup well. Salt to taste. At this point you can put the soup in bowls, add a pinch of cayenne (not too much, just a little pinch) to each and serve with a garnish of almonds. The original recipe says you can refrigerate the soup for a day. When reheating be careful not to let it boil. If it boils it loses a lot of the bright green color. |
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