The Moment I Fell in Love with Asparagus (Yes, Really!)

I didn’t grow up eating asparagus. And when I eventually met it, I didn’t love it.

My first encounter was in the Netherlands. The white asparagus, witte asperges, is a seasonal delicacy here. Often wrapped in bacon, baked with cheese, or hidden awkwardly beside a steak or salmon, like a confused side chick trying to belong.

I didn’t get the hype.

But all that changed one July afternoon in 2016.

I was in the Netherlands for my inburgering (integration exam), pregnant with my twin daughters. After three miscarriages, I was living with PTSD. Though the ultrasound had looked good, I was bleeding, and the doctors advised rest.

Instead, I went to visit a friend whose baby was in the NICU. NICU mums, you have my everlasting respect. That journey is not for the faint of heart.

The room was filled with fragile, beautiful fighters, tiny babies hooked up to machines. One in particular was being transferred to a higher-level NICU in Groningen. The atmosphere was tense. The helicopter had landed.

And in the middle of it all, I started to fade. I staggered.

A nurse caught me and gently helped me sit down. She looked me straight in the eye and asked, “How far along are you?”

I was stunned. “About eight weeks,” I whispered. I hadn’t even told her I was pregnant.

She smiled knowingly and said, “Let me get you something.”

She came back with soup. Asparagus soup.

Served in a standard-issue hospital plastic cup, nothing fancy. But that soup, it was warm, comforting, healing. Something in me was restored that day. A nurse saw what I didn’t even want to say out loud, and offered nourishment. Not just for my body, but for my soul.

Since then, asparagus has meant something entirely different to me. Every spring when it comes into season, I grab a soup box and make a big pot. For the memory. For the healing. For the life that continued.

And now, I share that soup with you.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Comfort in a bowl, simple, nourishing, and soul-soothing.

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh green or white asparagus (trimmed and chopped)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large potato chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1 liter vegetable or chicken broth
• Heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk (for dairy-free) as needed.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 mace (it really makes a difference, if you cant find, use a bit of nutmeg.
• 4 Celery leaves ( I know most people use only the stalks, I actually freeze my leaves for this soup)
• Fresh parsley leaves (optional) if you use white asparagus without the celery leaves, the green colour has to come from somewhere.

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat butter or olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until soft and fragrant (about 3–4 minutes).
3. Add the chopped asparagus and potatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the broth and mace and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the asparagus is tender (10–15 minutes).
5. Use an immersion blender (or regular blender in batches) to puree the soup until smooth. Be careful not to blend boiling soup as it would splatter.
6. Stir in the cream. Warm through, but do not boil.
7. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if you haven’t used mace).
8. Serve hot! I usually go for sourdough and cheese.

Let this soup remind you, as it does me, that sometimes healing comes in unexpected cups—and that even foods we didn’t grow up loving can become sacred when shared in the right moment.

If you make it, tag me @ChefBraakman. I’d love to see your bowl. 💛