Asparagus Soup

With the arrival of asparagus season, bundles are now displayed in prime spots in the vegetable shops. After enjoying the tender shoots, the snapped-off ends can be turned into a delicious lunch soup. Cut off the woodiest portions of the ends; they are too fibrous. We use Braun stick to liquefy the soup, but I am sure a blender will work.

Simple Asparagus Soup Recipe:

Leftover asparagus ends water, onions, garlic, salt, bay leaves.

In a medium size pot place trimmed asparagus ends, chopped onion, some garlic cloves, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Add lots of water, cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for half an hour or more to tenderise vegetables and reduce the liquid. For extra dimension and flavour, you can also add stems from cauliflower and broccoli or other leftover raw vegetables.

When suitably reduced, remove the bay leaves, adjust the seasoning and zap with the Braun stick. You can add some dried tarragon leaves if you wish. A dollop of cream cheese will add texture. Be creative; it's soup.

A serving the idea is to place some cooked shrimp in the bottom of soup bowl and ladle the soup over top.