Beat the heat this summer with this grilled then chilled asparagus soup from the culinary team at Chef Works, the leading supplier of culinary apparel for professional chefs and home cooks alike.  

And the best thing about this soup?  The asparagus can be grilled ahead of time and the soup can be made and refrigerated until ready to serve at your next backyard cookout, picnic in the park, or beach bash!  Simply throw the soup in a cooler then serve it up in disposal cups when you're ready to eat.

 GRILLED AND CHILLED ASPARAGUS SOUP

Ingredients

1 lb. asparagus

3 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 cup baby spinach leaves

3 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Prepare grill for medium-high heat cooking, approximately 400 degrees.  Cut the tough ends from the asparagus then toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil.  Place asparagus on the grill in a single layer and cook until lightly charred on all sides, approximately 5 minutes.  

Remove the asparagus from the grill and roughly chop. 

Place a small saucepan on the grill and heat 2 tbsp. olive oil until it shimmers.  Add the chopped onion and chopped asparagus and cook until soft. Stir in 1 cup baby spinach leaves and 3 cups chicken broth. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, and then puree in a blender. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Chill for several hours before serving cold. 

Recipe courtesy of Chef Works