Rosemary, asparagus and mushroom soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 large shallots
• 8 sprigs rosemary
• 400 g mushrooms, white
• 1 small jar of asparagus pieces (285 g)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 600 ml chicken stock
• 200 ml cream
• 2 spring onions
• 1 handful of parsley, chopped
• n. B. salt and pepper, white
• Sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Fine festive starter

For the stock, slice 300g of mushrooms (reserve 100g of the best-looking mushrooms for later), finely dice 2 shallots, and pluck the rosemary from the sprigs. Sauté the shallots in the butter; do not overheat, as you don’t want them to brown. After a few minutes, add the mushrooms and sauté until softened, then add the rosemary sprigs. Fry on high for 2 minutes, then deglaze with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil once, then remove from the heat and let cool and infuse for an hour with the lid on. Meanwhile, prepare the garnish: finely chop and sauté the remaining shallot, add the remaining 100g of finely diced mushrooms, and fry. This time, let them brown. Once they’re as desired, set aside. Finely chop the spring onions and parsley. Strain the soup through a sieve; do not press or purée! (I don’t use the drained vegetables.) Add the asparagus juice from the jar. Skim off about a cup and mix with 1-2 tablespoons of starch (for thickening later). Bring the soup to a boil, add the cream, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Thicken with the starch mixture. Now add the shallot and mushroom mixture, as well as the asparagus pieces, spring onions, and parsley. Season again and serve hot. This recipe is thanks to my willingness to experiment this Christmas 2020. Since no guests came, and therefore no guarantee of a successful outcome was necessary, I was able to really let my imagination run wild. And since I really like the result, I’d like to share it with you.