I’m always so excited to see the first signs of asparagus peeking through the soil announcing spring. The alarm for fresh produce has rung, and I look forward to the season of delicious farm fresh food!

“A pinch of that, sprinkle of this, measure to taste”, is the characteristic of a great chef and a great recipe.  As you learn to cook and experience flavors, you don’t always have to follow a recipe to a T, but merely a list of ingredients to guide the way.

I enjoy trying new recipes as I learn to cook with my produce on the farm.  I had some cream of asparagus soup at a Grange membership dinner and asked the cook for the recipe.  Of course, like many family recipes, the ingredients were not measured and the directions were not written down.  She sent me her list and my recipe was adapted from that.

In our house, we like soup to be full or heavy.  I opted to partially blend half of this recipe, leaving behind delicious bits of asparagus and potato.  I also added cream instead of milk and chicken broth for some extra flavor.  But, as I encourage everyone to make a recipe your own, feel free to add a pinch of that, sprinkle of this, and measure to taste!

Cream of Asparagus Soup Recipe

• 1½ – 2 lbs asparagus
• 2 T butter
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 1/4 Cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste (I used 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper)
• 4 Cups chicken broth
• 1/2 Cup heavy cream
• *1/4 Cup Asiago/Parmesan/Romano cheese blend to sprinkle on top of soup

Wash asparagus and break the end pieces off of the spears.  The asparagus will naturally break at the tender area leaving the woody ends to discard.  Chop spears into 1 inch pieces, along with chopping the potato, onion, and garlic.

Saute garlic, onion, potato and asparagus in butter for about 5-7 minutes, or until potatoes and onions are lightly browned.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Stir in broth and heavy cream, then bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the asparagus pieces are tender.

Helpful kitchen tip:  Tasting is an important part of cooking.  At this point, taste your broth and see if you’d like to adjust your seasoning.  You can add more salt, pepper, or thyme would be a complimentary ingredient.  If the soup is overpowered by any one ingredient, you can always add more chicken broth to lessen the intensity if you over seasoned.

Using an immersion blender, partially blend half of the soup.  If you prefer a creamy soup with no vegetable pieces, blend the entire pot of soup.  Top with a sprinkle of cheese before serving and enjoy!