Cold Asparagus Chowder
Woody Ends and Shells
Chefs are notoriously frugal. In part, this is an effort to control food costs by minimizing waste — but it's not just a matter of money. Some things that you might consider waste actually contain a lot of flavor — such as shrimp shells and the woody ends of asparagus plants.
The lower portion of an asparagus stem is packed with fibers, strings that are difficult to chew and digest. When you trim or break these off, stuff them in a 1-gallon zippered freezer bag and freeze them.
If you love asparagus as much as I do, by the end of asparagus season, the bag will be crammed with stems, which you can use to make an asparagus-flavored stock. You can use the stock to make asparagus chowder, and I've used it to make a sauce for chicken.
Shrimp shells are another inedible with a lot of flavor. As with asparagus, whenever I peel raw shrimp, I freeze the shells and heads, if I can get them. When I have a gallon bag packed with shells I make stock by combining the shells with an onion, carrot, celery stalk and a bay leaf. Simmer these ingredients in 6 cups water for an hour, then strain and discard solids.
Freeze the stock in small zippered bags in 1-cup measures. They can be used any time seafood stock is needed (as in the Cajun shrimp chowder below).
This is a cold chowder, although you can certainly serve it warm. If serving cold, you'll need several hours of refrigeration time. The great thing about this chowder is that it uses an entire season's woody asparagus ends (see sidebar). If you haven't been saving your woody ends, substitute 1 1/2 pounds of fresh asparagus, but you'll still want to discard the solids after making the stock because you've cooked all the goodness out of the asparagus.
This is a perfect salute to the end of the season, and a nice beginning to the chilled vegetable soups of summer. If you wish, you can run the chowder through a blender and make it a bisque.
Makes 6 servings
1 1/2 pounds asparagus woody ends (or same amount asparagus)
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 medium (3-inch) potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium leeks, white part only, chopped, about 1 cup
1 pound asparagus spears without woody ends, cut into 1-inch pieces
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh summer savory
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 cup cultured buttermilk
Salt to taste
Put woody ends, onion quarters and potatoes in a soup pot with chicken stock, and bring to a vigorous simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
Strain and discard asparagus and onion solids, but keep the potatoes and mash thoroughly with a bit of the stock to loosen them up. Reserve potatoes.
Melt butter over medium heat, add leeks and saute until translucent.
Return soup base to stove over medium heat, add leeks and bring to simmer. Add cut-up asparagus and cook until just done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add savory, pepper, buttermilk, mashed potato, lemon juice and salt to taste. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.
Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.