asparagus, potato and bacon soup (and an ode to Rachael Ray)

 Adapted from this Rachael Ray recipe.

Yes, I love Rachael Ray.

Trying to find quick and easy recipes that fit into a weekday schedule isn't that difficult - see any number of mini "cookbooks" lining the checkout counter at your local supermarket.  As long as you're comfortable using salad dressings of questionable food status to marinate your factory-farmed boneless skinless chicken breasts, you are totally set.  Some of those recipes don't even taste that bad.

But.

A few notable relics aside (one of which will show itself in this recipe) I have done away with processed foods in my life and in my kitchen.  If I am willing to eat hydrogenated, genetically modified, high-fructosed "food" laced with indecipherable chemicals, then I'll hit a drive-through.  I am not going to go through the effort of shopping and cooking and dish washing just to poison myself.

Rachael Ray's recipes rely pretty heavily on real food, and are very substitution-friendly.  They've also encouraged me to pick up ingredients I may not have used previously. (Yes, Rachael Ray converted me to kale.  Really.  And while I won't be eating it raw, tossed with lemon juice and red onion on a regular basis, it has found its way into quite a few dishes since.)

I also appreciate her general approach to cooking and recipe-creation, which is fun.  It's playful.  It's forgiving.  Often what you get is a perfectly serviceable, quick, tasty meal.  It's not always mind-blowing.  It may not make your family hear choruses of angels singing with every bite.  But when it's Tuesday, and it's 9 PM, and you're hungry, you really don't give a shit.  I'm willing to bet that salad-dressing marinated chicken breast dinner didn't make you see the deity of your choice either.

There is merit in good food.  There is merit in cooking a few quality ingredients creatively and efficiently, without too many bells and whistles.  And for someone, like me, who is generally hoping her cooking will actually make angels show up and sing, that's a valuable lesson.

Anyway - on with the soup!  This has become one of my favorite Spring recipes, and I will likely continue making it as long as I can get asparagus.  It's balanced and filling and lovely for the kind of unseasonably cold days we've been having lately.

Ingredients, in order of addition:

8 oz bacon
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
4 cups water
2 tsp chicken soup base
1 1/2 lb of potatoes
1 1/2 lb of asparagus
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 cup greek yogurt

Notes on ingredients:

Bacon - if you're not using bacon, you will need a bit of oil to saute the onions and garlic.  You may also want to increase the soup base to 3 or 4 tsp.

Onion - I have used red and white with success; the original recipe wanted a leek.

Soup base - I still have this jar of chicken soup base and I can't throw it away!  I will really never buy it again after it's gone.  Because of the salt in the bacon, I used half of the amount indicated by the quantity of water.  If you are not using bacon, you may want to up it to 4 tsp.  If you're using store bought stock and bacon, use half stock and half water.  If you're using home-made stock I'd use it full strength unless your home-made stock is quite salty.  Vegetable substitutes would be just fine.

Steps:

1)  Heat a heavy-bottomed stock pot or whatever you use for soup over medium-high heat while you chop the bacon into bite-sized bits.  Drop the pieces in the hot pan and cook, stirring often, until they look as if they are beginning to crisp but before they start to burn.  (Bacon thickness varies widely - this may take two minutes or ten.)

2)  While the bacon is cooking, chop the onion and garlic.  Don't worry about getting the onion pieces perfectly even, as they will all be pureed eventually.  Don't forget to stir the bacon.

3)  Once the bacon looks done, use a spatula or slotted spoon to remove from the pan and place on paper towels to drain.  Place somewhere out of reach so that you will still have the bacon when you need it.  Turn down the heat to medium-low.

4) Here comes the heresy:  Don't drain the grease.  Throw those onions (not the garlic, not yet) right on in there.  This is what makes this soup the beautiful, wonderful thing that it is.  If you really must, take out a few spoons, but please consider leaving it in there.  (No, I don't think it's bad for you.)

5) Are you still holding the onions with a panicked look on your face?  Just throw them in.  I won't tell anyone.

6)  Make sure to stir the onions occasionally.  After 3-4 minutes, once they've started to turn soft and translucent, add the garlic and cook another minute or two.

7) While the onions are cooking, chop up the potatoes. Peel or don't, as is your preference. I halved and quartered my small red potatoes to try to get even sized pieces.

8) Add the water/soup base/stock and the potatoes, and bring the heat up back a bit to medium-medium high.  (For those of you using soup base: don't bother to pre-dissolve it in hot water.  I never do.  It will dissolve just fine in your boiling soup pot.)  There should be enough liquid to cover the potatoes with room to stir - if there isn't, add a bit more.

9) Cook until the potatoes are almost tender.  This was 10 minutes for me, but may be more or less depending on the size of your pieces.

10) While the potatoes are cooking, trim and cut the asparagus.  Take a bunch of spears all facing the same way, and snap the ends off.  This does result in uneven lengths, but since they're going in soup it's no issue.  After you've snapped the ends, cut into pieces about half as long as your index finger.

11) Once the potatoes have reached their almost-done stage, add the asparagus and spices. Cook 3-5 minutes.

12) When potatoes and asparagus are tender enough to puree, remove pot from the heat.  I used an immersion blender, which is my preferred method, but a regular blender or food processor will also work just fine.  If you're using the food processor or blender - work in batches, don't fill more than halfway, and be careful.  My experience with hot + food processor is generally not whether I'll burn myself, but how badly.  And how much of the food will end up on the ceiling.

13) Once pureed to your satisfaction (may not be completely uniform, especially if you kept the potato peels), add the yogurt.  I used my immersion blender here too, but if you don't have one I'd just stir it in.

14) Taste to adjust seasoning.  Debate the merits of a bit of cumin, but decide it's just fine the way it is.

15) Return to heat if necessary, and serve, topped with the bacon (assuming no one found where it you had it hidden) and maybe an extra dollop of yogurt.

Total time: 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on how you puree

Estimated cost: $17 (asparagus = expensive, but so worth it)

Serves: 6-8

Tastiness factor: 5, no angels, but very, very tasty.
Easiness factor: 3-4, varies based on the possession of an immersion blender and your stance on bacon.