Faux Creamy Asparagus and Crab Soup
By: Gorey
Published: Monday, May 3, 2010 - 9:17am

Ingredients




1 bunch fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed off
1/2 cup sweet white onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, smashed and minced fine
1 Russet or baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock (or chicken broth)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt

pepper

1/2 cup jumbo lump crabmeat (fresh or canned)

Preparation

1 Wash asparagus well and trim off the beautiful tips; reserve these in a bowl. Cut the remaining spears into one-inch pieces. 2 Heat a 3-quart stockpot over medium heat; when warmed, add the olive oil and onions, and saute until they begin to soften. 3 Stir in the garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from browning. 4 When these are soft, add the butter, potato chunks and asparagus pieces; stir well to combine. 5 Saute this mixture until these are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. 6 Pour in the stock or broth; stir well. 7 Cover, and allow to simmer until the potatoes are very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. 8 At this point, taste for seasoning; add salt and pepper to taste, stirring well to distribute. 9 Using an immersion stick blender, food processor or traditional blender, puree the soup - in batches, if necessary - until it is chunky-smooth and to your liking. 10 Set this aside, covered, in a warm place. 11 Place the asparagus tips in a microwave-safe bowl with a tablespoon of water. 12 Cover and microwave - to steam - for between 2 and 4 minutes (your microwave will determine how long). 13 You can also boil the tips in water on top of the stove; they should be tender but not mushy - drain well & set aside. 14 Ladle the soup into individual bowls. 15 Top each with a sprinkling of the steamed tips and crabmeat.

About


Healthy version of a traditional creamy aspargus & crab soup. The potatoes add the body that would otherwise come from heavy cream. 
This can also be made vegetarian, if vegetable stock is used and the crab is omitted.