What’s in season in May? On Vancouver Island we have fresh asparagus, celery, kale, mushrooms, green onion, peas, potatoes, radish, rhubarb, spinach, and turnip.
We have a lovely roasted asparagus soup topped with delicious Boerenkaas.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped mushrooms
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons arborio rice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Shaved Boerenkaas
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Toss asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until tender and browned in spots.
Meanwhile, in a medium to large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and cook the onion over on medium heat until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the chopped mushrooms and let them release their moisture, about 10 mins. After their moisture is released, they will begin to brown. Cook for another 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are nicely caramelized.
Add the roasted asparagus, chicken stock, arborio rice and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook the soup until the rice is very soft, about 20 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Or, transfer the soup to a blender and puree, then return to the pot. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a generous amount of shaved Boerenkaas.