Asparagus Soup and Crustless Asparagus Pie

I am lucky to live in an area that has premiere asparagus farms.
When  asparagus is  on we eat  it every day in one guise or another  .
This weekend  soup and a crust less casserole.

This soup is my version of one from Epicurious.

4 cups  green asparagus chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
5 to 6 cups vegetable  broth
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth,  and return to pan. Stir in milk then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter. Add lemon juice and garnish with asparagus tips if you  want to  decorate  soup..

Serves 4-6 
Recipe can be halved .



The pie recipe is  based on one  from Zehrs Grocery store. I added the cheese to give more flavour.
With no crust the calories in this dish  is low  .....Approx. 250 per serving.

Crust less Asparagus Pie
1 tsp  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4  Eggs - Large
1 cup  asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch
1 onion, chopped
1/2  sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup 2% Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp each: salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup  grated Parmesan Cheese or mix of cheddar / mozzarella .
Preheat oven to 375°F, Spray  pan.

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook asparagus until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Drain. Plunge into cold water. Drain again.
In nonstick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onions and red peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
In bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in asparagus and onion mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish. I used  my new Fiesta ware  individual baking dishes. These bright coloured dishes   are  a new favourite to use with just the 2 of us..

Top with cheese , used Parmesan this time.

Bake about 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting.

Overall loved the soup. The crust less pies needed  a bit more seasoning . Next time I would add  more asparagus and   some  thyme also   use  cheddar as the topper..