Asparagus Soup with Caramelized Leeks

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: 4 people

We all enjoy a great soup and with this mild weather we are having, I can sneak one more in before the extreme heat of summer will be here.

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus 2 pounds asparagus
2 leeks 2 large leeks, white and green separate, green part cut into small rounds, white part quartered and then each section thinly sliced, about 1 1/2 cup
½ cup long grain rice (jasmati) ½ cup long grain rice (jasmati)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 sping tarragon 1 spring of tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3 cups water 3 cups water
4 cups chicken stock 4 cups chicken stock
salt salt
pepper pepper

Instructions

Remove the woody part of the asparagus stalk. Peel the remaining asparagus stalk and discard all peelings. Cut the tips and reserve them. Cut the remainder stalk into 1-inch length.
In the pan of your pressure cooker, add 1 tablespoon butter and add the stalks chunks of the asparagus and the green part of the leeks. Sauté for 3 minutes and then cover with 3 cups of water and 4 cups of chicken stock. Add tarragon spring. Follow your pressure cooker instruction, close the lid, and set the timer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring 1 ¼ cup of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in the rice and cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 13 minutes, or until the rice is almost done. Keep aside when done.
In a large frying pan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until they are nicely brown.
Once the asparagus and leek soup in the pressure cooker is done, remove a ladle of the soup and place it in the skillet with the leeks to scrape up any brown bits.
Transfer the content of the soup pot to a large blender, add the caramelized leek and puree them together well.
Return them to the pan, add the cooked rice to it. Add the asparagus tips return to a boil. Lower the heat: simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.