In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Om wrote:
>
> > I'm working on my Asparagus Crab soup photo series. It was really quite
> > wonderful. ;-d
>
> I made an asparagus-crab soup last year using the recipe from _Into the
> Vietnamese Kitchen_. It was good, but not great: The recipe had you simmer
> the crab and asparagus for quite a long time, so the flavor would be
> extracted from them into the broth. But of course the crab got sodden and
> the asparagus got mushy from that prolonged cooking.

Argh! Try my recipe, posted below. It'll be followed with pics fairly
soon. I'm having motivation problems between being depressed and
concentrating more on job hunting.

> If I do it again, I'll
> strain the soup and throw away the overcooked crab and asparagus, then add
> fresh crab and asparagus just before serving.
>
> Bob

Use a shell based crab or shrimp stock instead if you must. I just used
a pure asparagus stock and the crab was added to it, along with some
butter at the end.

Asparagus and Crab Soup

Approx. 5 lbs. tough asparagus stems
(I save them in the freezer until I have
a batch large enough to make soup)

1 lb. fresh shredded crab meat (I usually
use Dungeness but used King Crab this time
as it was on sale)

1 lb. tender asparagus stems
1 stalk celery
1 shallot
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
6 fresh basil leaves
4 oz. salted butter

Salt to taste

Place asparagus stems into a pot and just cover with water
Add the rosemary sprig (minced) and basil leaves (torn up into small
bits).

Cook until the asparagus stems are turned to mush
(I used a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes)

Strain off stems and herbs, reserving the cooking liquid and run
thru a food mill or mash thru a fine mesh strainer to
get as much puree material that you can while removing
the fiber from the stems.

Add the asparagus mush back to the reserved liquid.

Chop the tender asparagus stems, celery
and shallots, then add back to the pot.
Bring to a brisk boil and reduce by about 1/3rd
stirring as needed to keep it from scorching.
Allow to cool a bit, then puree with a hand blender.

Melt the 4 oz. of butter and add along with the shredded crab meat and
vermouth, garnish as desired and serve hot.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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