asparagus soup w white truffle mash

Hopefully I am back on track with this blog, after one month offline.

First I was travelling and then we moved apartments and now we're waiting for AAPT and Telstra to pull their fingers out and get our ADSL connected!

Worse of all, I've been so busy at work and Jonas has been so busy with his assignments that I haven't had time or access to a computer to even read over other blogs. I'm feeling very isolated and behind the times here!!!

So now I'm staying back at work to put something up and have a gander at what's been going on during my internet exile.

In my previous post about German food I mentioned a delicious white asparagus soup that I ate in a Frankfurt Italian restaurant called Medici.

As one of our last big meals in our old apartment, I replicated the dish with green asparagus and the results were absolutely fantastic.

The best part of this dish is the unique addition of mash potatoes that have been flavoured, ever so delicately, with white truffle oil. Pungent and perfect.

Asparagus Soup w White Truffle Mash
The soup recipe is based on Delia Smith's but the overall concept belongs to Medici in Frankfurt. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
900g (2 lb) asparagus
50g (2oz) butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 slightly rounded tablespoon plain flour
1 litre (1¾ pints) hot stock (vegetable or chicken)
150 ml (5 fl oz) pouring cream, plus 1 tablespoon extra
salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 potatoes
White truffle oil to taste
Method:
1. Prepare the asparagus by cutting away and discarding the tough, stringy white ends of the stalks, reserve 4 asparagus tips per person to garnish the soup, then chop the green parts of the rest of the asparagus into 1 inch (2.5 cm) lengths.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat and cook the chopped onion in it for 5 minutes, keeping the heat low to prevent the onion colouring.
3. Stir the asparagus into the melted butter and onion, then put a lid on and let it sweat for about 10 minutes, giving it a stir now and then.
4. Sprinkle in the tablespoon of flour, stir again to soak up the juices.
5. Add the hot chicken stock, a little at a time, stirring after each addition.
6. When all the stock is in, bring to simmering point, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper. Keeping the heat low, let the soup barely simmer, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile clean, peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes. Boil until soft (approx 5-10 minutes). Add 1 tablespoon cream and mash with potato masher. Add white truffle oil to taste, adding a few drops at a time. Set aside but keep warm.
8. Allow the soup cool a little, then pour it into a blender and blend in batches (a large bowl is helpful here). Taste to check the seasoning.
9. Stir in the cream and the reserved asparagus tips. Re-heat gently for 3-4 minutes.
10. Arrange mashed potatoes in the centre of warmed soup bowls. Pour in soup around the potatoes and garnish with asparagus tips.

This German inspired soup is a fitting contribution to my return to Weekend Herb Blogging, since this week the host is Ulrike from Küchenlatein in Germany (Kronshagen).

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes soup asparagus white truffle white truffle oil soup recipes german recipes