This is one you can likely knock out with stuff already in your pantry. I'm not a big tarragon fan, so I usually just add a little of dried.

White Bean and Tarragon Soup

Serves 2

Scaled down and modified version of recipe found in The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater.

Ingredients

1 can Cento cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon olive oil
5 green onions (scallions), sliced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 can (about 2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon (maybe 2) fresh tarragon, roughly chopped

Procedure

1. In a heavy soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the onions and carrot, and saute for 3 or 4 minutes, then add the green onions and garlic. Cook about 1 minute.

2. Add the beans and stock and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaves and tarragon, and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the beans are falling apart. Remove bay leaf. Blend soup with a stick blender or simply mash (with bottom of a can, potato masher, or such) to desired consistency.

3. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Good toppings: more chopped tarragon, green onions, a drizzle of olive oil, or fresh black pepper.

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Posted by Twenty 49

Shreveport

Member since Jun 2014

18889 posts

Posted on 9/29/14 at 6:59 pm to Twenty 49

Boiling the tips separately and using them for garnish looks really nice. But if it's just us, I cook and puree all of it.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

2 lbs asparagus
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
5 cups chicken broth
Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp dry vermouth
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Method

Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish.

Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

Cook onion in butter in a 4 or 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. If you want a very creamy texture, you can put the purée through a food mill or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in cream. Stir in vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with asparagus tips. Serves 4-6.

Source: Simply Recipes site, which adapted it from a recipe in Gourmet magazine.

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Posted by Gris Gris