Asparagus Soup with North Sea Crabs

Asparagus season is officially open! From April and till end of June is exactly the right time to buy seasonal asparagus here in the north of Germany. And although in Hamburg you will mostly find white or violet asparagus from the region (not the typical green sprouts) it is definitely worth to stop by at the local farmers' market and buy this fresh seasonal product. If you do not know what can you prepare and how is asparagus eaten the very basic recipe of asparagus you can discover here. And this Baked asparagus with ham and cheese with its tenderness of melted cheese and asparagus juiciness will definitely be a pleasant surprise for you.

But today I want to share the recipe that became one of the most favourite soups in my family: asparagus soup with north sea crabs. It is easy to cook, healthy, very tasty and full of flavors. The recipe is adopted from "1000 Recipes for two" by NGV. Hope you will enjoy it as much as we do during the season.

One secret for good soup is a good base, meaning broth. Depending on your preferences it may be made with meat and vegetables or just veggies. In my case, I always leave the broth from the meat I was boiling. A good choice would also be to use the rests of asparagus once peeled to cook a broth. Just add some salt and boil them for 10 minutes. That's it!

Ingredients:

yields 2 portions

500 ml chicken broth

200 g asparagus (your choice)

100 g north sea crabs or shrimps (cooked, ready to use)

2 shallots

1/2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp corn flour

1 small egg

sprinkle of salt,Herbes de Provence and pepper

Bring the broth to boil. Meanwhile wash asparagus and cut it into 3-4 cm long pieces. Put then into the boiling water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Take asparagus out and set aside. Peel shallot and cut it small. In a pan heat the oil and fry shortly shallot and asparagus for about 2 minutes. Add some salt, pepper and broth. Pour it all into the main broth. Separately mix corn flour with some water into a paste, add it to the soup and stir well. Taste and if needed add more salt, pepper or other spices you like. Beat the egg and pour it gradually into the soup while stirring it with a fork quickly so that the egg threads are created.

Serve it with north sea crabs and a sprinkle of herbs de Provence.

Bon Appétit!

Pumpkin cream soup

New season, old good pumpkin cream soup. At the times, when the sun is still shining and the leaves are not falling down you understand one day, that you want to cheer yourself up with something warm and tasty. Hello September! 

The main autumn vegetable is, of course, pumpkin. It can be cooked in different ways - baked, steamed, roasted.... With its mild and creamy taste pumpkin soup is anyway one of the best choices. It is low in calories and high in fiber. The seeds are a good source of protein, iron and B vitamins. Pumpkin is perfectly digested and is used as a perfect dish in a healthy lifestyle as well as in the children's menu.

So let's do it! You will need

2 kg Hokkaido pumpkin

1 onion

3 l water

basil, oregano

pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds' oil
1 cup whipped cream - if you want to have extra-creamy texture

I've chosen Hokkaido pumpkin. It can be cooked without peeling and the time is money as you know ;) But if you can't buy this sort of pumpkin, take any other that you like. Wash it carefully and halve the pumpkin lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut into chunks. Place them into a pot, add one peeled onion and water until its covered. Boil for about 30-40 minutes.  Sure, you can boil the whole pumpkin with a whole onion. But then you will have to halve it afterwards to take out the seeds.

Tip: The other possibility is to bake the pumpkin and onion in the oven at 180C for about 40 minutes until soft.

When the vegetables are soft blend them with a stick blender until they are smooth and creamy. Leave the water aside. Add it to make your soup more liquid.
If you're a fan of creamier texture this is the time to add whipped cream and mix it thoroughly.
Spice your soup with some salt and pepper. Add basil and oregano as well. I used pumpkin seeds' oil and some pumpkin seeds to serve. Tastes so mild. Even my nephew ate it with a big pleasure.

Bon Appetit, my dear food-lovers!