Asparagus Soup

Its hard to say no to a good soup and this is a really good one made with asparagus. Perfect for spring when the fresh asparagus appears everywhere. I do everything in a pot and mix with a hand mixer, but it is of course possible to pour over everything in a food processor to mix as well. If you want the soup to be really smooth, you can also strain it through a fine-mesh steel strainer - just squeeze as much as possible through the strainer and woody pieces will be caought in the strainer and can be thrown away. I usually skip the step of straining the soup, but if the soup is served as an appetizer on e.g. New Years Eve, it can be an extra step to make the soup even a little more luxurious. If you have any asparagus left over, you can quickly fry them in butter and serve as an accompaniment to the soup - super tasty! This soup is just as good as an appetizer for the luxurious weekend dinner as a completely independent lunch on a weekday in the spring.

Im not entirely sure when I started appreciating asparagus, but I have a lot of memories from when I was a child when we ate canned asparagus which was associated with anything but enjoyment. There is a huge difference between fresh and canned asparagus and I am lucky to live near a producer north of Lund (Lundasparris) which produces and sells fresh asparagus in small kiosks around the city in the spring. If you live nearby, I can recommend following lundasparris on instagram or on facebook so that you get information about when the season starts and they have asparagus to sell.

Both green and white asparagus contain a lot of nutrients. The green asparagus has a slightly higher nutritional content and a slightly stronger taste than the white. Asparagus contains, among others: Folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, manganese, vitamin B6, copper, niacin, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, selenium, calcium and fiber , antioxidants, phenolic compounds and food for our good bacteria - inulin (soluble dietary fiber).

You can also use white asparagus in this recipe, but keep in mind that the white asparagus may need to be peeled slightly because the outer layer of white asparagus is quite hard. It may also make sense to strain the finished soup to avoid the harder pieces.

Many recipes also mix the shrimp with a little horseradish before adding them to the soup, but Im not a fan of horseradish so I think it gets better without it. But if you like horseradish, try it and see if you like it better.

To make this soup vegetarian - exclude the shrimp and make sure the broth used is vegetarian.