Asparagus soup

Whole eggs cooked in soup might sound a little weird, but they're great. The eggs absorb all the flavor from the vegetables, and they have a surprising pleasant texture. You can find spaghetti already broken, but it's easy to do yourself so why bother. Break the Asparagus Break the bottoms off the asparagus. Hold the asparagus with one hand on each end and bend it until it breaks. Where ever the asparagus spear wants to break is the right spot to separate the tough stems from the tender tips. Discard the bottoms and cut the tops into 1" pieces. Start the Soup In an 8-quart pot add the asparagus, onions, peas, basil, salt & pepper and the water and bring it to a boil. Boil the soup until the asparagus are tender. This should take about 20 minutes. Cook the Pasta The best way to break the pasta, is just to grab it with your hands and keep breaking it in half until the pieces are the right size (about 1"). At the same time you start the soup, add 1 tbsp of salt to 3 quarts of water and start boiling the water for the pasta. When the water comes to a boil cook the pasta for 12 minutes. Set 1 cup of the pasta water on the side and drain the rest of the water out. Add the eggs and pasta to the soup. When the asparagus are tender leave the fire on high and carefully crack the eggs into the soup. You want to keep the yokes whole so don't stir. The pasta should be done by now. Go ahead and add the extra pasta water to the pot. When the eggs are cooked through the soup is done. Top the soup with the olive oil, and add the pasta. 2010 ventimiglia italian foods