Spring Asparagus Soup with Macadamia Nut Cream by Chef Porsche Combash

Chef Porsche Combash, a former instructor for our Holistic Chef Online Culinary Program, gives us a spectacular soup recipe, just in time for Spring.

It’s spring again, and asparagus is delicious and has a short season. While looking for new ways to prepare them, a creamy pureed soup came to mind.

There were still sunchokes available at the farmers’ market, along with spring onions, so I wanted to take advantage of those too. The combination of the sunchokes–an unusual tuber from the wild sunflower plant–combined with two springtime favorites, asparagus and spring onions, pair well with a creamy addition.

To keep it dairy-free for a mini spring cleanse, macadamia nuts jumped out. Soaked and pureed, they blend up quickly and make a wonderful fatty creamy element.

Check out the recipe below!

Spring Asparagus Soup with Macadamia Nut Cream

Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 10 Min | Cooking Time: 30 Min | Total Time: 40 Min

This is a spring favorite vegetable turned into a velvety soup with a lovely non-dairy cream topping.
Asparagus is rich in vitamins and minerals. The sunchoke is the rhizome of sunflowers and is rich in fiber and vitamins. Macadamia nuts are filled with good fats and make an excellent creamy topping for this dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 pounds asparagus
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, roughly chopped
• 4 cups homemade vegetable stock or beef bone broth
• 1 cup water, as needed
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 sunchokes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Make Macadamia Nut Cream:

1. Pour hot water over macadamia nuts. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.​
2. Puree in a high-powered blender or with an immersion blender until creamy and white. Add salt to taste.​

Make Asparagus Soup:​

1. With your hands, snap off woody asparagus bottoms and save. Cut remaining spears in 1-inch pieces.​
2. Over medium-high heat, in large soup pot, heat olive oil and add shallots, garlic, and green onions. Cook until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, and sunchokes. Cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from pot and set aside.​
3. Add stock, water, and the woody asparagus ends to the pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.​
4. Remove the woody asparagus ends with a slotted spoon from the pot. Place a sieve over the pot and press the liquid out of the woody stems so that it returns back into the pot.​
5. Add the cooked vegetables and cut asparagus to the simmering stock.​
6. Cook for 20-25 minutes on medium heat until cooked through and still green. Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice, and cayenne.​
7. With the high-powered blender or immersion blender, blend the soup until very smooth, making sure there are no lumps. Use caution while blending the hot soup.​
8. Serve warm with a dollop of macadamia cream or crème fraiche.​

Notes

For this soup, you can make it vegetarian with vegetable broth or omnivorous with beef bone broth. You also can substitute the fats with butter or ghee to make it with dairy.