Steal This Recipe® Asparagus Soup | Lido, NYC

From Chef Stephan Putnam of the newly opened Italian restaurant Lido, in Harlem, New York, this simple recipe is delicious

Stolen with permission from Chef Stephan Putnam of the newly opened Italian restaurant Lido, in Harlem, New York, this simple recipe is a delicious way to use fresh spring asparagus.

Named after Lido de Venezia, in Italy, the restaurant aims to transport guests to the Italian countryside with simple and delicious food and an elegant, yet warm and inviting ambiance. French doors open onto the street and a red oak bar invites you in. The bar is adorned by a rustic, silver-hued mirror, reflecting flickering candlelight and the gentle sparkle of custom-made chandeliers. Exposed bricks, locally-created abstract art and sea green banquettes create the comfortable atmosphere and are the perfect setting to relax and enjoy  Chef Putnam’s impressive menu.

Sophisticated choices on the menu will entice your taste buds; like an appetizer salad of Organic Hearts of Romaine with anchovies, croutons, ricotta salata, Fuji apple, and tonnato sauce or Grilled Stuffed Calamari with prosciutto, bread crumbs, cream, lemon, cannellini beans, and trevisano. With entrées like Whole Branzino with roasted red pepper Livornese, charred onion, watercress, and fennel, and Ricotta Ravioli with eggplant, mint, pine nuts, and lemon, food lovers will not be disappointed, (not forgetting desserts like Mascarpone Gelato, and Black Pepper Caramel). The original use of ingredients and classic Italian combinations really do turn a trip to Harlem into a visit to the Italian countryside; for native New Yorkers and visitors alike.

About the chef: a four-time James Beard Institute Recognition award recipient, Stephan Putnam’s career has taken him to either coast in equal success. His farm to table, local Mediterranean style has been seen in NYC at the Park Avenue Café and the W’s Doral Tuscany, as well as the River Café. He was Executive Chef at Wine & Roses Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa in Napa, The Bellevue Club in Seattle, as well as Owner and Executive Chef at Paradise Café in the Hamptons, and Frog and the Peach, a French-American style restaurant in Avon, CT. Now as Executive Chef at Lido restaurant, he is helping to contribute to Harlem’s new dining renaissance with his sophisticated, yet unpretentious, modern Italian fare.

Lido
2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, NY 10026
646 490 8575

Asparagus Soup is served at Lido as a spring special. 
This recipe makes 8 -10 servings.

Asparagus Soup Ingredients:
4 oz butter 
¼ celery root (peeled and sliced) 
½ onion (sliced) 
½ leek (sliced) 
1 sprig thyme (leaves only)
1 oz garlic 
1 bay leaf 
2 quarts asparagus ends (peeled)
4 quarts chicken stock 
2 ½ oz Wondra flour, or instant flour
2 potatoes 
¼ cup cooked spinach for color 
Nutmeg to taste 
Salt to taste 
Pepper to taste

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions:
In a large rondo or roasting pan, sauté the celery root, onions, leeks, garlic, and herbs. 
Add the flour and cook for 5 minutes until the onions and leeks are translucent. 
Add the asparagus, chicken stock and potatoes. 
Cook covered over a low heat for 1 to 1 ½ hours. 
Puree the mixture in blender – adding the spinach for color, if needed.
Strain through a fine chinoise or strainer.
Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.