Asparagus & Potato Pour-Over Soup

When I left for work today, I was planning to make a chicken salad sandwich for supper. It tastes good, it's healthy, it uses up some chicken I have in the fridge - and best of all, it's quick, which is really important since I don't get off work till 8.00 PM and don't sit down to supper till 8.30 or 8.45 PM.

But then it rained all day. 

I managed to stay out of the rain, mostly because people took pity on me when they saw my fingernails turning blue and gave me indoor jobs like pricing diamond-shaped tomato cages and breaking down old cardboard boxes. But when you're working at a nursery, indoor is code for under a roof, and it's not a heck of a lot warmer than outdoors. 

So about halfway through my shift, I found myself wondering whether I could make a quick soup. 

And I recalled a "pour-over soup" recipe I'd seen on Buzzfeed months back, which basically involved pouring hot soup stock over veggies to quickly cook the veggies. Then, I was doubtful it would work well. Today, I was mostly cold and pouring stock over vegetables sounded like a fast and delicious supper.

One problem: When I got home, I discovered the can of chicken stock which I thought was sitting in my pantry was not in fact sitting in my pantry; I had no can of chicken stock. Besides this, I was out of grocery money for the week, so there was to be no running out to the store for another can. I did what any self-respecting Millennial would do: I Googled the problem. Turns out, beef broth can be substituted with a tablespoon of soy sauce in a cup of water, or with red wine. I had both.

So here's what I did:

Since I was using ersatz beef broth, I wanted to make it the best ersatz broth possible. I sautéed some red onions and garlic in sesame oil. Then I mixed water with a tablespoon and a half of soy sauce to make a cup of and a half of liquid, total, and added about a sixth of a cup of red wine for good measure. Then I let it simmer for twenty minutes.

While it was simmering, I got the ingredients ready. For these, I riffed on a recipe for Asparagus & Potato Soup with Leeks that's turned out well. I boiled half a red potato (with its skin), and I chopped up one green onion, one asparagus, and a little cilantro. I mixed all this spices, then added the potato when it was soft.

I poured the broth over the veggies, and then, the best part - I ate it. 

It was delicious. 

It was rather salty, largely because soy sauce is pretty salty. But the asparagus had a bright tang and the potatoes were soft and rich in the broth. Even the broth was yummy, good enough to dip my whole-wheat toast into. 

Ultimately, meals that serve just one person are hard to come by. I'm not the kind to eat cereal for dinner, and my usual blended soups get old after a while. It's really nice to have a good broth-based soup which cooks quickly and serves just one. 

Here's the actual recipe, if you want it:

• 1 1/2 cups broth (beef broth, or the substitute I describe above)
• 1 TBSP red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 3 stalks asparagus, chopped
• Spices (I recommend dried red pepper and a Chinese blend).
• 1/2 potato, chopped
• Cilantro for garnish

This photo is a tad blurry, but see all the yummy ingredients?

Saute the onion and garlic in a little sesame oil. When the onion is translucent, add the broth; bring it to a boil, then let it simmer till the rest of your ingredients are ready.

Chop up half the red potato. Add the potato to boiling water and boil till just soft, a little more than five minutes.

Chop three stalks of asparagus into small pieces (1/4 inch or so); chop the green onion into small pieces. Combine in a bowl with spices. When the potato is cooked, add the potato. 

Pour the broth over all. Garnish with cilantro and serve.