Emperor’s Fiddlehead Soup (Asparagus Soup)
Greetings food adventurers! Something a little different today…
So, here I am on a date with a mind flayer, on a gray craggy floating rock in the astral sea. The sky is all swirly pink and purple and blue with stars everywhere. Very romantic. There are no plants but the ground is strewn with crystals so I guess it’s pretty in an alternate-dimension way. We talk about all sorts of things, past adventures, future plans, the usual date stuff. He tells me about his life before he was changed into a mind flayer and about his favorite fiddlehead soup. Obviously I have to make this soup now.
I don’t think it is going to work out with the mind flayer, but the soup recipe is a keeper. Fiddleheads can be hard to find and some people have bad reactions to them, so I prefer asparagus in their place. This keeps things easy and less poisonous.
Recipe adapted from Baldur’s Gate 3 – a slip of paper is found in game with recipe notes. (Yes, in Baldur’s Gate 3 you can romance one of the mind flayers. It is every bit as weird and awkward as you imagine. This is such a great game.)
Also, check out this adorable picture by artist @Bludermaus of the Emperor enjoying a bowl of fiddlehead soup / asparagus soup (shared with permission). I just love everything about this. (Here is a link to their Patreon page!)
Emperor’s Fiddlehead Soup (Asparagus Soup)
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter divided
- 6 to 8 oz button mushrooms sliced
- 1 large white onion chopped small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine (or use extra chicken stock)
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 potato chopped small
- 2 medium carrots and/or parsnips chopped small
- 1 lb fresh asparagus chopped
- ¾ tsp Penzey’s Green Goddess dressing mix or substitute 1 tsp dried basil
- ¾ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp kosher salt adjust as needed based on your broth
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- Croutons for serving (optional)
- Freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Cook mushrooms in the butter. Set them aside.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter in the pot.
- Add onions and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the wine or 1/4 cup broth to deglaze the pot.
- Add the cooked mushrooms, broth, potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. Bring to a boil.
- Add asparagus, herbs, and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes or until all veggies are tender.
- Turn off the heat. If desired for garnish, use a slotted spoon to pull out a few asparagus tops and set them aside.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.
- Stir in the cream.
