Home is nice…stuff is where you expect it to be, the food is fabulous (Kimmie is making great soups for me now), and Miss Liliana the Golden Retriever and Mama Kitty are offering full support, no questions asked.
My emotions seem to be lined up in order, though- I should be dancing around the rooms in ecstasy, but instead I am apparently going to be forced to experience all of the old fear and sadness and then after I do that, I get to feel all happy. Stupid lizard mind….
I still can't eat anything solid, or even semi-solid, yet. So, soup it is.
I think we will make an asparagus soup tonight. It is asparagus season, after all. Easy as pie, too. Easier, actually.
Asparagus Soup
1 lb white asparagus, or green, snapped in two, blossom ends chopped into one-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cups broth or cold water
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
Good salt, freshly ground pepper
4 egg yolks
More heavy cream or milk
Makes 4 servings
Cut or break the tender ends of the asparagus stalks and reserve them. One good way to find the spot in the stalk where tenderness begins is to hold the ends of the stalk in each hand and bend it until it snaps. The root end will be too tough to eat pleasantly. Put the root ends and the onion into the broth and simmer for twenty minutes. Strain, reserving the broth, and put the blossom ends into the broth and cook until just tender, about ten minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cream or milk, salt and pepper. Put the egg yolks into a measuring cup and add an equal amount of milk or cream to them and stir well. This is called a “liaison” and is a wonderful way to thicken a soup or sauce, but do not turn on high heat after you add, or it will turn into scrambled eggs. Add this liaison to the soup and stir. If necessary, turn on a very low heat until soup is just heated through, stirring, and serve.
