Recipe: Creamy asparagus soup with poached egg, Parmesan and truffle oil

So, this will be my last recipe this month which pairs these two great ingredients, asparagus and eggs together. You can view the other recipes here: Poached egg with smoked salmon and grilled asparagus, King prawn and asparagus omelette with bacon bits, and Asparagus and Scallop Risotto with Poached Egg and bacon bits.

Healthy asparagus soup with poached egg, Parmesan and truffle oil

Asparagus soup is not something we see often in restaurant's menus around here, but if we spot it, we would order it. This is also a soup you can make easily at home - you can use either store-bought chicken or vegetable stock or make your own (see Step 1 below for a basic chicken stock). If using vegetable stock, then this can be served to vegetarians. Then, simply soften the onions, add the asparagus, cook for about 5 minutes and then blitz in a blender. Very easy to make and it tastes great!

So how do you transform a simple asparagus soup into something extraordinary? For me, an extra poached egg on top along with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a few drops of truffle oil does the trick for me. Looks and tastes amazing!

On its own, the asparagus soup is already silky smooth. I only added about 1 tablespoon of cream so this is a relatively healthy soup. The poached egg adds an extra dimension of silkiness and creaminess to it. I also reserved some of the asparagus tips and lightly cooked them in some butter and oil and topped them on the soup, for some added texture. The Parmesan cheese and truffle oil enhances the flavour of the soup as well as adding a touch of luxury to it.

I was curious if Baby C would eat this soup - was waiting for her to say "mummy, why is this soup so green?' but she actually liked it a lot. I think the poached egg made this an attractive soup for her since she loves eggs. She finished the bowl of soup that I gave her, savouring it while dipping her toast in it.

Thumbs up from Baby C!

Creamy asparagus soup with poached egg, Parmesan and truffle oil
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes (+45 mins if making stock from scratch)
Serves 2

Ingredients
250g baby asparagus, woody ends trimmed and discarded
400ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
A knob of butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp whipping cream (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 fresh eggs
Truffle oil
Parmesan


1. To make a light chicken stock, simply place about 500ml water and 1/2 chicken carcass (or chicken breast if you prefer) into a pot and bring to the boil. Once boiling, simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Skim off scum or any fat.

2. Cut the asparagus into 1.5 inch lengths, and set the asparagus tips aside. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat until foaming. Fry the asparagus tips for about 1 minute until tender. Remove and set aside.

3. In the same pan, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes until they have softened. Make sure that they do not brown. Then, add the remaining asparagus stalks and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened but still bright. Add the chicken stock, and bring to the boil.

4. Once boiling, remove from heat and use a hand blender/blender to blend to a puree. Place back into saucepan, and season with salt and pepper, simmer at very low heat while you prepare the poached eggs. Add the whipping cream now, if using.

5. To cook the poached eggs, bring about 6-7 cm of water to the boil. Add a little salt to the water. Break the egg into a small bowl and gently lower the eggs into the water and cook for 2-3 minutes until the egg white has set. Remove with a slotted spoon and repeat for the other egg. You can also use this whirlpool method with vinegar or cling film method to make poached eggs.

6. To serve, ladle soup into two bowls, then place the poached egg in the centre of the bowl. Divide the asparagus tips between the two bowls. Place a few drops of truffle oil on the poached egg and  then grate some Parmesan cheese all over.

*I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Egg" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by me (Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out). You can link your egg recipes here.


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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 16 August 2013 and Dailybuzz Food: Truffle Oil on 11 September 2013.