A Dinner with Asparagus and Paesano
This meal wasn’t a typical one; I put some ingredients together into some interesting ways.
Appetizer: Salad of Favorites
I combined my love for so-called prosciutto di parma, Hanover tomato, and buffalo mozzarella cheese, and provided flavor with EVOO and authentic, long-aged balsamic vinegar. The only gesture of perfection left would have been single leaves of baby basil placed on top.
Special Asparagus Soup
- 1 large sweet onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- EVOO
- salt, pepper
- one bunch asparagus
- one small carton, heavy cream
- one quart chicken stock
- white wine
- one-half head broccoli-cauliflower hybrid vegetable
- lemon juice
I cooked the onion and garlic in EVOO, until slight color came to the sweet onions. I added the green cauliflower, and stirred. Minutes later, I added the chopped stalks of asparagus, tips reserved. Once everything had been coated in the fat, I added the wine, then the chicken stock, and simmered the concoction for some 10 minutes.
Then, I removed the stock to a blender, and in 2 batches, pureéed the soup. Added back to the pot, I re-heated the mixture, mounting it with cream and the tips of asparagus, back up to a light simmer. The soup was then finally served, and garnished with fresh lemon juice.
Dinner was served alongside Zingerman’s Paesano bread.
Filed by MessyChef at August 23rd, 2007 under In the Kitchen