Time For Some Asparagus

To a good start this Manu Chao Me Llaman Calle song that brings me back to reality and fights my insanity sometimes ;) I am not crazy most of the time, I just think I am about to go insane.



Sometimes I wonder where all my free time went. I listen to my "child" free, career-oriented friends and I know I cannot say "what are you talking about?", any time they complain about not having time.
 Wait until you have a hyper super active two year old, and instead of you putting them to bed maybe at 7pm, they are taking out all their favourite toys and books and continue to play into the late night hours, while you are dying to go to bed at 9pm. Watching Tv? Impossible. I have been there already, watching cartoons at 3am at night. Yes, I did go to work next the next day.


Most days I am tired and trying to do to much. And most of us do. But sometimes you need to let it go. Leave the dirty dishes in the sink until the next day, stop thinking about the messy toys all over the house, do not vacuum for one day.

Even though I do not enjoy the stack of dirty pots, pans and dishes I will keep on cooking great food. Many days I come home from work and I am so tired that I really want to make sandwiches and Mr. Noodles, but it will not make me feel better nor give me energy. Sure, there are some pretty amazing sandwiches that I can come up with but that needs great bread on hand, and that is not a tired week night possibility.
I try to make the best I can with the ingredients I have and today it was this beautiful soup with grilled cheese and poached eggs.

Asparagus.....my mom used to make cream of asparagus soup, she used white asparagus. For some reason green asparagus was not that popular in Poland in the past. My parents grow white asparagus in their garden now, but if you do not cut it at the right time, it gets really bitter. Buying it is dangerous too, make sure it is fresh otherwise you can end up with something to land in your trash bin very fast.
I prefer green asparagus. There are so many ways to use it. In a risotto, for breakfast with soft boiled eggs, in a quiche, with pasta, wrapped in prosciutto. Grilled, or boiled with some butter or olive oil, salt and pepper. Maybe a squirt of lemon.

Making this soup with all the necessary ingredients on hand and a hand blender the whole affair took me about 30 minutes, so you can easily make it as a weeknight dinner.




Amazing!







Cream Of Asparagus Soup

(portion for three)

1 pound asparagus, rough ends removed
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 stick celery
1 large or two smaller leeks, trimmed and chopped
4 cups chicken or veggie stock
sea salt and black pepper
3 eggs
6 slices of wholegrain toast or any bread such as baguette or ciabatta









Chop the tips off the asparagus and place those aside for later. Place the chopped onion with the chopped celery, leeks and a splash of olive oil in a deep pot. Fry, stirring often, until softened but no there is no colour, for about 10 min. Add the asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. Take off the heat and use a hand blender to blitz the soup until desired creaminess. Now season with salt and pepper, make sure to add it bit by bit and taste. Add the tips of the asparagus and cook for another 10 minutes just until they soften.


I like the contrast of the creamy soup with the tips of the asparagus, literally melting in your mouth.


I served it with some toast with melted Swiss cheese. But a buttered toasted baguette or any fresh bread will do just fine. For the eggs, boil some water in a smaller pot, break the eggs one by one into a small bowl and gently tip into the water. Boil for about 1 to 1.5 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.


Serve on top of the bread and enjoy!


Have a wonderful day everyone.