Asparagus, Potato, Cheese Soup With Bacon

[Meander]

1/2 lb Bacon
2 lbs Potatoes - peeled and cubed
1 small onion diced
1 small clove garlic diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp celery salt
1 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, asiago, or romano cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups ice cold whole milk
1 tray of ice cubes
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method:

Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet until done. Remove the bacon and all but about three tablespoons of bacon grease.

Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook at medium heat until golden brown flipping them to prevent burning.

Add the diced garlic and onion and cook until slightly translucent. Remove about half of the potatoes and reserve for later.

Add the chicken stock and celery salt and bring to a boil.

Cut off the spears (tops) of the asparagus and reserve for later. Chop the asparagus stalks and add to the pot. Turn the heat down so the soup simmers.

Dice the cooked bacon putting about half into the soup and reserving half.

Cook until the asparagus and the potatoes are mushy.

Remove from heat.

Add the cheese, stirring to melt it with the residual heat.Then add the cold milk and ice cubes, stirring to melt the ice cubes. When the soup has reached bath temperature or cooler put the soup into a blender in batches, pureeing it mercilessly. I gauge this by the bacon - if I can't distinguish particles of bacon, it is pureed enough. Taste it to be sure, the soup should be creamy, not gritty. Add the batches of pureed soup to a soup pot on medium heat as you go.

Bring the pureed soup to a simmer and add the reserved chopped bacon and the asparagus spears. Cook until the asparagus spears are done to your satisfaction. This will vary widely by personal taste. Add the reserved browned potatoes. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.

This makes about eight to ten servings.

*notes: I tried using an emulsifier but it left gritty bits of bacon in the soup.



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Stock photo of vegetables and fixings for soup added by Frenchtowner on 6-7-2008

[frenchtowner]

Meander,

This sounds wonderful. I am going to pass this recipe on to a chef friend of mine. We'll let you know if it works out at the restaurant.

Is this your secret recipe? If so, we'll need to call it Meander Soup!

FT

[Meander]

How flattering! It's no secret but it's my original recipe. I got some really lovely asparagus about a week and a half ago and decided to try these things together. That's the way I usually cook. I just put things together and see what happens. My roommates liked this one so much they insisted I put it down in words for them so I thought I'd share.

I had already come up with a nice curried chicken starting the same way, with potatoes, onions, and garlic cooked with bacon in it's own grease. Hmm, I'll have to write that down, too.

[frenchtowner]

Dear Me..ander,

Some of the best soups I've ever tasted start with leftovers, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Great things start with a little inspiration, like great asparagus.

Your curried chicken soup sounds wonderful too. You are inspiring me to post some of my own recipes. I am going to try to get my chef friend to share some of his favorite recipes on here too.

FT

[LanasCountry]

We prolly learned that about the left overs in soups from our dear
Moms that did NOT believe in waste! Do any of you ever COOK with
the idea of re-meals or re-use? (that doesn't sound so good, but well
YOU know what I mean)! ? (huh? ) A extra cup of beans, left over boiled
potatoes..and YES that bit of meat loaf will work just fine, thank you.
Have you ever used chopped cabbage or other dark greens in soup?
Luscious and healthy!

My purpose for posting Meander was, (not to totally lose the topic
train) but to tell you your soup sounds marvelous and that picture
is fabulous as well! I HOPE to see more of your wonderful ideas!