Asparagus Stem Soup, Camp Version
A creamy green soup built from dried asparagus and instant potato, thickened without a blender.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried asparagus, sliced thin | 1/2 cup | woody ends dry fine if you slice them across the grain first |
|---|---|---|
| Dried onion and leek flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried celery flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Instant white rice | 1/4 cup | the thickener, in place of simmered raw rice |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | |
| Powdered milk or powdered coconut milk | 3 tbsp | stands in for the cream |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried parsley | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt and white pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Drop in the bouillon, asparagus, onion, leek, and celery.
- Simmer 10 minutes with the lid on. The dried stems need the full time or they stay chewy.
- Stir in the instant rice, kill the heat, and cover for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the milk powder off the heat so it does not scorch, then the parsley and the oil.
- Mash against the side of the pot with your spoon until it thickens. Salt and pepper at the end.
The original is a restaurant trick for using up woody asparagus stems: cook them soft, thicken with rice, then blend the fiber into submission. You have no blender, so the fix moves upstream. Slice the stems thin across the grain before drying and the strings get cut into pieces short enough to eat. Skip that and you get a pot of dental floss.
Instant rice replaces the raw rice and cuts a twenty-minute simmer down to a five-minute soak while still doing the thickening. Milk powder stands in for the cream, and the oil goes in last, off the heat, which is where it carries the most flavor and the most calories. Dried parsley at the end is for color more than taste.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil goes in one bag. Oil rides in a dropper bottle. Grind the dried asparagus coarse in a spice grinder at home if you want it smoother in camp.
Variations
- Add a handful of dried peas and a pinch of dried mint in the last five minutes.
- Skip the milk powder and use two tablespoons of oil instead for a leaner, greener pot.
https://foragerchef.com/asparagus-end-soup-what-to-do-with-asparagus-ends