Soup. Sandwich. And a Fried Egg.

I’ve been saving all my tough asparagus ends, (you know, all those pieces you throw in the trash?)for the past month and kept them in a zip bag in the freezer. And I did it all for this meal. It was a bit labor intensive because I had to strain the finished product before it was edible but it was definitely delicious.
We enjoyed our soup with a Croque Madame, which is essentially a Croque Monsiuer sandwich with a sunny-side up egg on top. I like to make mine with apricot jam and dijon mustard on the inside-Not traditional, but neither am I.
Here’s what I did with the soup-
Diced 3 celery stalks, 1 medium onion and 1 medium potato, peeled. Sweat them out with a bay leaf in olive oil and butter. I seasoned the veggies with salt, white pepper and sugar. When the potatoes were fork tender I added 1 1/2 lbs. of asparagus ends (but you may certainly substitute tender asparagus…I will next time). I allowed the asparagus to become tender and more or less steam with the lid on the pot. I then added a splash of white wine and a quart of chicken stock. When that came to a boil I covered the pot again and reduced the heat to simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the asparagus was extremely tender. I removed the bay leaf and pureed it as best as I could and then ran it through a sieve, only to return it back to the pot where I added about a cup of cream. (Actually, it was canned, evaporated, whole milk….a secret weapon I always keep in the pantry). Whew! Lots of work went into that soup. And I could definitely taste it in every bite, (Thank goodness).
I garnished each bowl with a little chevre and chives. And enjoyed mine with a glass or 3 of Cava. Yum!
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