Rachel Roddy’s recipe for asparagus, pea and rice soup-stew | A kitchen in Rome

According to the Guinness World Record’s authoritative website, 351.7cm was the magnitude of the asparagus presented by Harry and Carson Willemse astatine the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest successful Ontario, Canada, connected 2 October 2004. Sadly, however, the Pumpkinfest’s ain archives clasp lone the records of maestro growers and weigh-offs dating backmost to 2017, and are astir wholly pumpkin-related. Gardening websites and Pinterest, however, connection much penetration into however asparagus, near unpicked, rather rapidly reaches 6ft and develops branches and soft, feathery foliage. I presume Harry and Carson indispensable person pulled distant the ferns successful bid for their spears to turn to 3½m, which is simply a metre much than the mean UK ceiling and astir the aforesaid magnitude arsenic a Mini Cooper, and the equivalent of 16-20 average-length spears laid crossed the room floor.

Those average-length spears, however, are arsenic overmuch a motion of outpouring arsenic blossom and barometric pressure-change lethargy (my tortoise and I are diametrically opposed for astir 10 days each spring: him coming retired of hibernation, maine wishing I could participate it). Despite myself, we person been enjoying asparagus: boiled and covered with melted butter; rolled successful brackish and pepper, roasted connected the griddle, past dressed with bitter orange; and turned into soup.

If asparagus are medium-sized oregon slim, a bully and speedy mode to get escaped of the woody ends is to crook the spears until they drawback astatine their earthy breaking point. It is true, though, that this method tin sacrifice a important portion of the spear, particularly if the asparagus is much medium- to plump-sized, truthful different method is to usage a murphy peeler to pare distant the fibrous outer layers that thicken the extremity of each spear – deliberation of it arsenic sharpening a pencil. Another mode to get the astir retired of a bundle is to usage the pugnacious butts oregon peelings to marque a airy banal (boil them with a halved bulb successful a litre and a fractional of h2o for astir 20 minutes, past strain).

If you don’t fancy this further step, though, plain h2o is good for today’s recipe, which is inspired by the Venetian mode of cooking atom and peas (risi e bisi) and besides incorporates a full clump of asparagus. The look besides incorporates a friend’s extremity of scooping retired astir a 3rd of the soupy vegetables and atom for the past fewer minutes of cooking, blending it creaseless (and milky-green), past returning it to the pan, wherever it thickens and brings everything together.

This is simply a crockery that thickens arsenic it cools, truthful get it to the array and service arsenic soon arsenic possible, passing astir immoderate grated parmesan and olive lipid for those who privation to enactment them connected top.

Asparagus, pea and atom soup-stew

Serves 4

1 ample clump asparagus (about 600g)
30g butter
3-4 tbsp olive oil, plus other to serve
2 shallots, peeled and diced
Salt
200g podded caller peas, oregon frozen and defrosted peas
200g rice, specified arsenic carnaroli, arborio oregon long-grain
1½ litres lukewarm banal made with the asparagus trimmings, oregon water
Grated parmesan, to serve

Break the tips disconnected the asparagus and acceptable aside, past drawback disconnected oregon usage a peeler to pare distant the pugnacious ends of the remaining spears, and chopped the trimmed stalks into 2-3mm rounds. If you wish, boil the ends oregon trimmings successful a litre and a fractional of h2o to marque a airy banal – h2o is fine, too.

In a heavy-based pan, lukewarm the food and olive lipid until the food foams. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt, fry mildly for a fewer minutes, past adhd the asparagus rounds and peas, and disturbance for a fewer minutes, truthful everything glistens. Add the atom and different pinch of salt, disturbance again, past adhd the h2o oregon stock. Leave it to travel to a boil, past crook down to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Five minutes earlier the extremity of cooking, region a 3rd of the soup, blend this until smooth, past instrumentality it to the cookware on with the asparagus tips (sliced successful fractional if thick). By the extremity of the cooking, the consistency should beryllium dense but inactive soupy, truthful adhd a small much h2o if required. Serve with grated parmesan and olive lipid connected the broadside for those who privation some.