Cybele Pascal

Today’s recipe for Allergy-Free Roasted Asparagus Soup marks the beginning of a series of recipes I’ll be posting over the next several weeks, to help make it easier to celebrate an allergy-free Easter and Passover.

Springtime to me means merging the best of my varying culinary background. With a mother of Roman Catholic and Protestant decent and a Jewish father, I grew up celebrating both Christian and Jewish holidays. To complicate matters further, my father is half Ashkenazi (Jews of Central, Northwestern and/or Eastern European descent) and half Sephardic (Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent). This hybridized childhood strongly influences my cooking today. You will find that the following series of recipes are suitable for either Easter or Passover dinner. Plus, they take advantage of seasonal farm-fresh ingredients to guarantee a healthy, wholesome allergy-free spin on your favorite old-fashioned standards.

ALLERGY-FREE ROASTED ASPARAGUS SOUP

Serves 8

Asparagus, one of springs first vegetables, is delicate, tender and relatively inexpensive when purchased in season. This lovely “creamy” soup makes a memorable start to your Easter or Passover meal. It’s dairy-free, Kosher, and gluten-free.

• 3 lbs. asparagus, bottoms trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 large shallots (use both halves), cut into 8 pieces
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine, optional
• 1/3 cup Dari Free*
• 3 Tablespoons potato starch
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.

2. Spread asparagus, garlic and shallots on two foil lined baking trays. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over each tray. Toss with a spatula to coat asparagus evenly with olive oil.

3. Roast asparagus about 25 minutes, tossing once, until lightly golden, yet still tender. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

4. Set aside 24 pieces of asparagus for garnish. Puree remainder in a food processor, adding 1 cup of the chicken broth. Don’t rush this; mixture should be smooth.

5. Add puree to pot and whisk in 6 more cups of the broth. Add salt, a few turns of freshly ground pepper, and white wine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 10 minutes.

6. Heat the 1 cup of remaining chicken broth. Whisk in Dari Free till smooth, then whisk in potato starch, making sure there are no lumps. Add to pot and simmer 20 minutes more, over medium-low heat, stirring often.

7. Remove soup from heat. Garnish each bowl with tarragon and a couple pieces of reserved roasted asparagus. Serve hot.

* In place of 1/3 cup Dari Free mixed with 1 cup chicken broth, you may substitute 1 cup of rice milk or coconut milk instead. Just be sure to reduce the total amount of chicken broth for the recipe to 7 cups, instead of 8.

Allergy-Free Roasted Asparagus Soup
© 2011 by Cybele Pascal

This recipe was shared on the SOS Kitchen Challenge (this month’s ingredient was asparagus!) at Diet, Desserts and Dogs and Affairs of Living.

Here are some more Allergy-friendly Easter and Passover recipes and tips you might like:

? Allergy-Free Potato Leek Kugel (by me) at Whole Living Daily

? Sweet Potato Latkes, Gluten-Free at gluten-free girl and the chef

? Easter candy gluten-free and allergen-free at Sure Foods Living

(Please note that all my recipes are completely free of all top allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, and gluten), so as many people as possible can enjoy them. Additionally, all the ingredients are available at Whole Foods, and online at Amazon.com. If you have trouble finding something, let me know and I’ll help you find it.)

SAFETY NOTE: Because each person’s food sensitivity and reaction is unique, ranging from mild intolerance to life-threatening and severe food allergies, it is up to the consumer to monitor ingredients and manufacturing conditions. If manufacturing conditions, potential cross contact between foods, and ingredient derivatives pose a risk for you, please re-read all food labels and call the manufacturer to confirm potential allergen concerns beforeconsumption. Ingredients and manufacturing practices can change overnight and without warning.

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