Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup with Curry makes a beautiful starter for an elegant late spring dinner or as part of a light lunch.
It's Memorial Day which is often called the "unofficial" start of summer. Wonderful summer garden produce is right around the corner!
However, I'm still not over asparagus yet because it's truly one of my favorite vegetables. We're also continuing to pick a few spears here and there from our backyard patch.
As mentioned in a previous post, I was "gifted" several pounds of beautiful ramps by my nephew by marriage (who is now my favorite nephew... 🙂 Hi, Blake!)
Ramps, also called wild leeks, don't last long; they only last about a week refrigerated. I pickled some and used the rest in this silky and flavorful Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup with Curry.
Tips for making Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup with Curry:
- Pureed vegetable soups are one of the easiest and most forgiving soups to make. Your knife skills can be next to nil and produce doesn't have to be pretty.
- You can use end-of-the-season produce and after it's pureed you'll still end up with a gorgeous, luxurious silky soup.
- Use regular leeks if you don't have a source for ramps. Onion, spring onion or several bunches of scallions will also work.
- If you're not a curry fan, you can definitely leave it out and you'll have a lovely Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup. Or, start with a small amount of curry and add more to taste.
- This is NOT a heavy cream of asparagus soup! There's only a half cup added at the very end and you can use half-and-half if you'd like.
- You can puree this soup in a food processor or blender. However, an immersion blender is the easiest and safest way to puree anything and you won't burn yourself with those hot liquids!
Love asparagus? Be sure to try my other asparagus recipes!
- Asparagus, Prosciutto and Fontina Tortino
- Roasted Asparagus with Goat Cheese and Walnut - Lemon Gremolata
- Asparagus Cordon Bleu
- Arugula, Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette
- Breakfast Strata with Asparagus, Artichokes, Ham and Gruyere
Cream of Asparagus Soup with Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large leeks - cleaned and trimmed, white and tender parts, coarsely chopped
- 2 pounds asparagus - tough ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, divided
- 2 medium Russet potatoes - peeled and cubed
- 1-2 tablespoons curry powder - to taste
- 4 cloves garlic - chopped
- 4-5 cups chicken broth - or vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- Chopped fresh chives - for garnish
Instructions
- Reserve 12 nice asparagus tips for garnish. Prepare an ice bath. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook 5-10 seconds just to blanch it. Transfer to the ice bath to cool. Pat dry and set aside.
- Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the ramps/leeks. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 6-7 minutes or until softened. Add the asparagus and potato and saute briefly or until the asparagus turns bright green.
- Add the curry powder and garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add 4 cups of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover slightly then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 20 minutes or until asparagus and potatoes are very tender. Add the cream.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add additional chicken broth if the soup is too thick.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Transfer to bowls and garnish with the reserved asparagus tips and chopped fresh chives.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Wm says
Hello,
Made this today and it came out great. Added a few drops of hot pepper sesame oil at serving. I modified it a bit to use up some things in the fridge: Used a 2.5 pound bag of asparagus from a warehouse store. Omitted the heavy cream. Only had one very large leek (2 x 18 inches) so I added half an onion. Added one fermented garlic clove in addition to what the recipe called for in garlic. Used vegetable broth vice chicken. Used two tablespoons of curry powder, salt and pepper to taste.
Carol says
Awesome! Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! Loved how you improvised!
Deb says
My CSA provided both asparagus and leeks today, so I searched for a Cockaleekie soup that used both...and this one with curry? Yum!
I did stumble a bit with the curry, ending up with about 3 tablespoons of Red Curry in the soup, and I had to use whole milk as I was out of cream (but mine had a lot of butterfat on top), and I came up with a result that I will definately repeat in the future. I'll try this cold as well, as I have plenty of leftovers.
Anonymous says
les says
Has anyone tried this chilled?
Carol says
Hi, Les, Not that I know of, but I would think it would be great! It does tend to thicken up a bit when cold, so you would need to adjust for that. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
MEGAN says
What a beautiful recipe, Carol! I'm also in the club of trying to get my asparagus fix even though their season is *technically* over. As long as I see them at the market, they are on my menu every week! This will be a great addition to my repertoire.
Carol says
Thanks, Megan!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
What a gorgeous looking and tasty soup this is! Unfortunately, we're not lucky to have ramps, but leeks are a good alternative! And yes to the addition of curry!
Carol says
Thanks, Nicoletta! Leeks can definitely be used instead. Hope you enjoy!