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Asparagus and Leek Soup

A soup made with asparagus, leeks, onion, celery, potato, and chicken broth, finished with sour cream.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Asparagus and leek share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 73 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

Asparagus and Leek Soup

Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the vegetables

  1. Spray a skillet with nonfat cooking spray and heat over medium heat.

  2. Add asparagus, onions, leeks, celery and potato, then cover and cook for 20 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.

  3. Place vegetables in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Make the soup

  1. In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

  2. Add vegetable mixture and stir well.

  3. Stir in sour cream and mix until well incorporated.

  4. Add salt and pepper to taste (optional).

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

509Calories
57 gProtein
5 gFat
61 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Asparagus6 spears (90g)27
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Asparagus + leektop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together73 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  2. Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Leek + celerytop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,093 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Asparagus + potatotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together217 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + leektop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,326 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Asparagus
Forms the main body of the soup and gives its fresh, green flavor.
Leeks
Add a mild onion-like sweetness that builds the soup's base flavor.
Potato
Its starch thickens the pureed soup and gives it a smooth, creamy body.
Nonfat sour cream
Adds tang and richness to the finished soup.

The step that matters

Puree until smooth. Blending the softened vegetables breaks down their cell walls and starches, which creates the smooth texture and body of the soup. Stopping early leaves a grainy, thin result.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, onion, leek, potato, chicken, cream, pepper):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Thymefits about as well
  3. Celerythe original
  4. Tarragonfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, onion, leek, potato, chicken, cream, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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