Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Goodbye Summer

The summer is wrapping up for us here in Southern California and we have had so many weird weather days.  One day it will be sunny and warm, the next foggy and cold.  This week when it looked like there was no sun in sight, I instantly felt like a hot bowl of soup.  

I love finding great broth based soup recipes that give you that warm, cozy feeling without the rich heavy feeling of all that cream.  This Asparagus soup is light, but flavorful and is complimented nicely with a few dollops of goat cheese.  So, if you are needing a little comfort food, try this one out without feeling the least bit guilty!
 

Asparagus Soup with Goat Cheese and Herbs
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
 Ingredients
1/2 cup Goat Cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
kosher salt and pepper 

Directions
 In a large sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the leeks and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the broth, asparagus and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep soup warm over low heat.  

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the goat cheese and extra herbs.

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