Cream of asparagus soup

Cream of asparagus soup

I really like asparagus. I really like soup. So cream of asparagus soup seemed like an exciting challenge. The dilemma: I can't eat cream. Greek yogurt is my standard go to substitute, but I have yet to cook with it without curdling it. This creamy cream of asparagus soup was delicious. I split it in two batches--the first I curdled when heating it back up to eat, the second is in the freezer, hopefully waiting on a better fate.

The ingredients

Cream of asparagus soup:
1 bunch of asparagus
1 bunch asparagus ends only
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced (or garlic pressed)
2 cups chicken stock (I used my concentrated semi-solid stuff+water)
8 oz. greek yogurt (1/2 16 oz. tub)
Olive oil to coat pan
1 tsp lemon juice
Black pepper to taste

Chopped asparagus 

Bunch of asparagus, plus additional
ends I saved from other meals

Chop your asparagus, setting the tips aside. Submerge the tips in hot water (I boiled it then poured the boiling water over the tips) for about five minutes, then transfer to an ice water bath.

Coat the bottom of your pot in olive oil, then add your chopped celery and onion. Sautee for about two minutes before adding your minced garlic. After another minute or two, add your asparagus. Cover for a few minutes. Add hot chicken stock, bring to a boil. Taste your soup, and add any additional salt (the chicken stock has lots) and black pepper.

Sauteeing onions and celery

Asparagus join the pot

Cooking sans additional liquid for a few minutes

Chicken stock is in

Use your stick blender to blend the mixture. If you don't have one, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor in batches. Then strain out any chunks of remaining asparagus (you don't want any woody ends left in your soup).

Blending the soup

Getting ready to strain the soup,
tips are in the bowl next to the strainer

Return the soup to the stove for a few minutes. Then, turn off the stove and allow it to cool before transferring it to the crock pot. Add the lemon juice at this point. Put the blanched tips and the crock pot full of soup in the fridge. I'm sure you could add the yogurt here, but in hopes I didn't curdle the yogurt, I wanted to cool the soup entirely.

Returned to the pot to boil for a few minutes

Adding lemon juice to the soup while it cools

Moved to the crock pot

Once your soup is cold, stir in the greek yogurt. Then, plug in the crock pot, watch over it, and get your soup hot but not boiling (so the yogurt doesn't curdle). Add the asparagus tips, and enjoy!

Stirring in greek yogurt to the COOLED soup

Ready to slowly reheat the soup in the crock pot,
watching over it carefully to rescue it as soon as it's
hot enough to eat, but before the yogurt curdles
(I failed at this step because I went back to lab)