This Saturday was awesome because the farmer's market in my town--the largest producers-only one in the country, I might add--had the very first crop of my favorite spring veggie, the one that makes me salivate and hate February and March for lasting so long--HAIL ASPARAGUS!!! 

The bad news is that, it being March, this first crop was a surprise due to unseasonably warm weather a few weeks ago--and, predictably, this asparagus wasn't that great.  The stalks were skinny and anemic-looking, the Amy Winehouse of vegetables.  But the good news is that when life hands you crappy (yet still cherished and eagerly anticipated) asparagus, you can make a bomb-ass asparagus soup.  

Here's my philosophy on asparagus--and yes, I have one, because it's one of my favorite vegetables and since I don't eat fresh produce out of season I only get a few precious weeks to savor it.  Asparagus quality follows a sort of bell curve--the stuff that comes out in late March/early April is meh, the asparagus in mid-April through early May is absolutely divine, and the last couple weeks of it slope down again into mediocrity.  Then the season's over. 

 The exact months and weeks for quality might be different in your area, but here's my advice for other asparagus lovers: towards the bottom of the upward slope of this curve, devour the precious asparagus--but use it in soups, tarts, ravioli, and anything else you can think of such that it contributes to and benefits from other flavors.  For the few weeks of peak asparagus season, leave those fuckers alone.  They are divine by themselves and don't need anything except for some heat and a bit of salt.  Definitely don't puree them, since the texture is perfect--why rob yourself of perfect asparagus for something you can do equally well with okay asparagus?  Just prick the spears with a fork in two or three pieces each, turn the oven to 400, toss with a little olive oil and kosher salt, and roast for 10 or 15 minutes.  Top with a poached egg for something more substantial, or just enjoy solo.  As the season peters out again, use them in stir-fries and ravioli and whatever again.  And then say goodbye until next spring.   

This being week one, and an unusually early week one at that, I made asparagus soup--pureed, because the stalks were tough and chewy.  Here's my master recipe, which goes really well with roasted chicken or anything parmesan, and is very amenable to tweaking of any kind.  If you've used previous bunches of asparagus, take all the juices from cooking it the last time and all of the trimmings and scraps, simmer them in four to six cups of water (depending on the size of the bunch you're using for the soup) and strain, and you will have an even better soup because of your delicious asparagus stock!  Waste not, want not.  Since this was week uno, I used about 2 parts water and one part veggie stock, and it was still awesome.

 Ingredients (yes, I made a list this time--hopefully this will make it easier): 2 shallots, finely minced

3 T butter

2 smallish bunches asparagus, not peak season, washed and with the really tough ends on the bottom chopped off, cut roughly into 2"-ish pieces

3/4 c. tart white wine--New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is best, but anything non-sweet and non-Chardonnay will do.  You can actually taste the wine flavors (not the alcohol) in this recipe, so don't use total crap but don't spend more than $20 either.

1 batch asparagus stock (see above), or about 3 cups water and 1 1/2 c. vegetable stock

(Note: all of the below are bad estimates, and anyway, there's no accounting for tastes.  This is sort of the bare minimum needed, and should be adjusted to accomodate your preferences for salt, acidity, and spice.)

1 lime

1 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. salt

In a big soup pot over low heat, melt butter.  Add shallots, cover the pot, and sweat for about 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent and melting a little.  Add asparagus, toss to coat with the butter and shallots, cover the pot, and sweat over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until tender and turning a deep green. 

When the asparagus is the right color (I need to bring a camera into the kitchen one of these days) and is getting very tender, turn the heat up to medium low and add about 1/4 cup of white wine to the pot.  Because the soup does well with lots of acidity, use the tartest, most mouth-puckering Sauvignon Blanc you can find/afford; I use a $12 bottle that is quite good, and although a very acidic wine is the gold standard, as long as you DON'T use a sweet wine or a Chardonnay you won't do any harm.  Deglaze any shallots that have browned, and let the wine reduce to about half of its original volume.  Repeat twice more.  Add asparagus stock if it's around, or add the water and veggie stock, turn heat up to medium-high, and bring to a gentle boil. 

Turn the heat back down to medium, so that the soup is at a gentle simmer.  Taste soup so that you get an idea of how the flavors are about to change.  Cut the lime in half crosswise, reserve one of the halves for another purpose, and squeeze the other half over the soup until you can't get anymore juice out, then drop the sucker in there to simmer with the rest.  Taste.  Add 1/2 t. cayenne and 1/2 t. salt.  Taste.  If it needs more salt or more spice--asparagus is a funny vegetable in that it's compatible with so many flavors and can absorb a lot, so you probably will--add the remaining 1/2 t. of salt and cayenne.  Taste.  Adjust as necessary.  If it's too tart, take the lime half out and maybe add a pinch of sugar.  If it's too salty, add a pinch of cayenne or sugar.  If it's too spicy, add a bit more salt.  You don't want any one of these flavors to dominate the soup, and in fact you shouldn't actually taste the lime, cayenne, or salt at all; they're just accents that help the asparagus taste good.  Simmer for a few minutes longer, then remove the lime and puree the soup.  Taste one last time, and adjust.  

This soup is also really good creamy, so add a couple of tablespoons of milk, cream, half and half, creme fraiche, or sour cream to the mix if you wish.  

Happy almost-spring, everyone!