Bowling. Weather.

Mr. Clever Clogs, otherwise known as my husband Matt, beat the stuffing out of me today at bowling. I didn’t bowl badly either and in both cases our averages went up. Matt’s went up significantly. Long may it happen. Today the owners introduced a 50/50 draw. Half goes to the winner, then $5 goes to one person  (selected by draw ticket) if they throw a strike. If they don’t, the $5 accumulates by the same amount in the following weeks until someone does throw a strike. Not quite sure what happens to the remains of the pot, whether it goes towards prizes or towards the banquet. Pity Matt didn’t get that ticket, he was throwing strikes all afternoon. Although of course it will be worth more in a week or two if it isn’t won before that. We have a pretty good turnout for the summer league but there have been dropouts for weird reasons. One woman  dropped out this week – she said she didn’t think it would be competitive. It isn’t really. We do accumulate team points but that’s about it. Nobody really cares how good you are. It’s basically all for fun and that’s what we go for.

Our weather doesn’t seem to know what it wants to do at the moment. Wednesday was a beautiful day, sunshine and very few clouds, but the temperatures were quite chilly. One day we can wear shorts the next we are back into long pants.  There was talk of frost again. I do hope not as it will hurt the asparagus crop once more, they lost a bundle last week. It’s unbelievable as June is not far away.

I like the asparagus soup I already make, but I thought this sounded an interesting version even if a little more work is required. I love the flavour of avgolemono which the Greeks use in several different recipes. I have made it myself and it is delicious.


Lemony Roasted Asparagus Soup

2 lbs jumbo asparagus
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
5 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
1 lb oyster mushrooms, torn into small pieces
Chopped dill and dried oregano, for garnish

1. Peel and trim the asparagus. Slice the stalks diagonally 1/4 inch thick; reserve the stems and peelings. In a saucepan, combine the asparagus trimmings, onion, wine and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over moderately low heat until the asparagus trimmings are soft, about1 hour. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender and puree until as smooth as possible. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids. Wipe out the pan.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°. Melt the butter in the saucepan over moderate heat. Whisk in the flour until golden brown and nutty smelling, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the asparagus broth until smooth and bring to a gentle simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot broth, then whisk in half of the remaining broth. Return this mixture to the broth in the saucepan and simmer, whisking frequently, until hot. Season with salt.
3. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the sliced asparagus with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 8 minutes, stirring, until the asparagus is golden but still slightly firm.
4. In a nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over moderately high heat until golden and crisp, 8 minutes.
5. Transfer the roasted asparagus to shallow bowls. Ladle the soup over the asparagus and top with the mushrooms. Garnish with dill and oregano and serve.

Servings: 4
Source: Cassie Piuma

Author Notes
Chef Cassie Piuma prepares her version of the lemony Greek soup avgolemono with a broth made from asparagus trimmings. Her other unconventional additions include roasted asparagus and oyster mushrooms.
The strained asparagus broth can be refrigerated for 2 days.

Have a great day