Kay's asparagus cream soup made from asparagus peels

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• Asparagus peels from 1 kg of white asparagus
• 1 liter of water, cold
• 50 g butter
• 2 tbsp, heaped flour
• some salt
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 1 dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 dash of cream, optional
• possibly asparagus, cooked, in small pieces (amount as desired)

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

using the peels and possible cutting and cleaning residues of white asparagus

Using as much of a food as possible is rightly considered the highest art of the thrifty housewife, and not without reason once filled entire cookbooks. Today, this knowledge, and with it many good recipes, has unfortunately been lost to us in many respects, or is no longer feasible due to industrially processed foods. Here I would like to share with you an old recipe that enables anyone to create a delicious additional dish from the “waste” of asparagus preparation. Take a medium-sized pot with a lid and add the asparagus peels and trimmings. It’s a good idea to flatten them to use less water during cooking. Then pour in cold water and bring it to a boil. Cook the peels in the covered pot for 30 minutes, no longer, otherwise the soup will become bitter. In a second saucepan, cook the asparagus pieces until tender, set them aside, and add the cooking water to the peels. A total of about 1 liter of soup is needed. Melt the butter in a saucepan and make a light roux. Gradually add the strained cooking water from the asparagus peels, stirring with a whisk. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes and season with salt, sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg. If desired, you can refine it with a dash of cream and add the precooked asparagus pieces. Tips: If the asparagus itself wasn’t bitter, this soup won’t be either; it makes a delicious starter soup for all kinds of asparagus dishes. It is possible to freeze asparagus peels at -20°C and collect them throughout the season to make asparagus cream soup later in the year.