Sparrowgrass cream soup

I woke up this morning,saw the chilly rainy weather, not getting above the 50's f, and decided I might as well make soup today. I'd put the asparagus in the freezer in case I didn't feel like using it right away.

So here's the story. I looked up a couple of recipes and thought they were a bit like workbooks, full of busywork that didn't seem strictly necessary. So I'm sure you assume I did it my way..

Anyway, here's a couple of handfuls of asparagus, most of a large onion, the only seasoning necessary salt and fresh ground black pepper.

 This is a delicate flavor, no need for a lot of spices. I did use chicken broth, well, one little packet of chicken. Turned out the other box I had was beef, which I must have picked up by accident, but oh well.

I made a roux in a separate small pan, usual butter and flour, ending with cup of warm milk whisked in to complete it. That I left to one side keeping warm till the main action was complete.

Back at the soup pot, onions, only roughly chopped, no need to get carried away, they'll be blended soon anyway, asparagus snapped a bit, oil and butter,  half cup of broth, cook the lot.

 If your asparagus is farm fresh, this will be about five minutes, tops. Unlike the recipes which said 12-14, using old stuff maybe.

Then stick blend. Stop to wipe soup off glasses, note to tip pot further away from self. Then add in the rest of the broth, cook a bit, then the warm roux mixture. About ten minutes more over gentle heat will do it.

I don't add cream, but I did swirl a spoonful of plain yogurt into this right before diving in. It was, well, it was very good. Try it. It's really worth doing.

I got four helpings from this, each one cup, 8 fl.oz. or floz I like to say. My soup ladle, just measured it now after years of meaning to, is half a cup.

I usually make enough soup for six helpings, but I think this worked better in a smaller batch. I have enough stems frozen to do another batch some time.

I freeze soup in single helpings, just enough for one. In the olden days when Handsome Son came to dinner, I'd just take out enough containers. One for me, three for him, he likes the soup around here.

A couple of days ago, to turn to a sadder tale, I wasn't in the mood to make a cake but I fancied a little something. And we will draw a veil over the YouTube squeaky lady who explained how this was a chocolate cake needing no baking, no pans, no ability either.

 It was baked in the microwave. In a container. And took approximately three times as long as she said, might as well have made a real cake. And it's almost edible. If you're desperate for a cakelike object with your tea. Identity witheld to protect the guilty.

 No pictures, I'm protecting you from the science fiction thing trying to escape from the dish. She had put in so many disclaimers I should have guessed it was a dud.

 And we will never know how many iterations it took to yield that very nice cake she cut into enticingly. Or maybe she ran to the bakery in desperation, facing a deadline.

But as my Uncle George would have said, this cake's awful, I'll be glad when I've had enough!

It may be May, but it's still a soup day

Seizing on the farm asparagus, picked the morning they put it out, and eaten raw or steamed, I cut off most of the stems when I got it home the other day, to freeze right away.  Today was the day for a bowl of steaming soup, what with the raw, windy, rainy weather, which suits the dogwoods fine, the people not so much.

So here's today's lunch: asparagus, with plenty of onions and garlic, a little knob of butter in with the oil for the base, then once cooked and blended a shake of lemon juice and a grating of an ounce or two of parmesan.   The recipe says to strain the soup through a strainer to remove the fibrous bits but I didn't actually have any fibrous bits, maybe because this was the best fresh asparagus, maybe because the freezing broke them down.

I served this with a wedge of wholewheat caraway hot biscuit spread with yogurt cheese.  More in the freezer for future study.

And, since a day without any walking is no fun at all, I did take a walk, all muffled up against rain and wind, and heard a huge commotion in the neighbor's shrub.  Saw a little baby Carolina wren hurtling about, tumbling, running under a parked car, with a parent in hot pursuit.  I think they've nested there, and the babies are making a massive racket and trying out the flying thing.  

I envy the neighbor since wrens are fun neighbors to have and they are deadly on squirrels, who are mortally afraid of being dive bombed by them.  I've seen it happen, and I don't blame the squirrels for staying away.