Asparagus soup

I've had a box of canned asparagus at the bottom of my pantry for ages. After giving me a few cans, Mum decided to give me the whole box she had bought in bulk. I used some to make a delicious quiche, that was over a year ago.

Over the weekend I made soup. I had a handful of frozen scallops left and some mortadella in the fridge, so I used them up too. I bought a frozen bag of scallops at the supermarket, totally meant for scallop pies, but have used them all in soups, or used soup as the 'smear', or sauce on the plate. Yum! It seems Summer is nuts about scallops too, that's my girl ;)

You could use ham or bacon instead of the mortadella. Don't be too fussy how everything is cut up, the soup is going to be blitzed anyway.

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
60 grams mortadella, diced
clove garlic, crushed
stalk celery, sliced
medium carrot, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
3 x 340 gram cans asparagus
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups stock

Cook mortadella until just starting to crisp, add onion, celery and garlic. Cook until onion is soft.
Add potato, carrot, asparagus, milk and stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer covered for 20 minutes, or until potato is soft.

Take it off the heat and blitz with a stick blender. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Asparagus soup with scallops and crispy mortadella

Asparagus Quiche

Mum gave me three tins of asparagus, they'd been sitting in her pantry for a while. I'm impressed they are Australian made and owned, Cowra Gold brand from Windsor Farm Foods in Cowra, New South Wales.

This has given me reason to make Asparagus Quiche. I haven't made proper quiche for a while, I have an easy quiche recipe which has no pastry, and its quick and easy to make, which is probably why. This is the basic recipe, I have added other things like spinach, corn or different types of cheese.

Easy Quiche

3 eggs, 1 1/4 cups milk, 1 onion chopped,

 1/2 cup SR flour, 3 rashers bacon, 1 cup cheese.

Mix all together. Bake 40 mins in hot oven.

I have no idea where I found the following recipe, its in my own handwritten cook book, so I've come across it somewhere and thought it was good enough to keep. I have made it a few times before, but its not one I make regularly. When I make quiche, I usually just use frozen puff pastry. This recipe comes with a pastry recipe and it's well worth making the effort. 

Asparagus Quiche

1 cup flour

90 gr butter

1 egg yolk

1 tbs lemon juice

Rub butter into flour, add yolk and juice.
Add a little cold water if its not coming together.
 Knead lightly and refridgerate.

485 gr asparagus

2 eggs and 2 yolks

300ml cream

4 bacon rashers

125 gr cheese, cubed

Place cheese and bacon on bottom, then asparagus.

Mix eggs and cream and pour over.

Bake for 10 mins in moderate oven.

Reduce heat and bake for 30 mins.

It smells divine as I pulled it out the oven, and tastes amazing.......of course Brett ruined his with tomato sauce.