Recipe: Free Soup: Creamed Asparagus Soup

Yield: 4

Ingredients

2	cups asparagus stems (I generally use the ends which I have snapped off over the summer months and frozen)
2	cups low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
½	sweet onion, chopped
2	tablespoons olive oil
	salt and pepper to taste
2	slices prosciutto
2	thinly sliced crusty bread
¼	cup grated gruyère

Preparation

Step 1	Thinly slice prosciutto and fry until crispy in a little oil (1 tsp).
Step 2	Drain crispy prosciutto and set aside.
Step 3	Using about 1-3 tsp olive oil, rub both sides of bread and toast until crispy. Set aside.
Step 4	Using 1 tbsp olive oil, sweat out the onions until soft, add the asparagus stems which have been cut into about 1 inch lengths.
Step 5	Add 1 cup chicken stock and cook until the asparagus is very soft.
Step 6	Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (you will need a good motor because the woody stems may cause problems).
Step 7	Once you have puréed the soup, ladle into a fine sieve and press through using the back of your ladle - do not skip this step, the soup is not edible because of the woody bits. Add more stock until desired consistency has been achieved.
Step 8	While keeping soup warm, sprinkle the gruyère evenly onto one side of each toast. Place until broiler for a minute until cheese is bubbling.
Step 9	Ladle soup into two bowls, gently top with the gruyère toast and sprinkle with the prosciuto crisps. Serve hot.
Step 10	Enjoy!

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About Free Soup: Creamed Asparagus Soup

Because I don't like throwing away food, I always keep a baggy of the asparagus ends one would normally discard in the freezer. For this soup, you will need more than you think because a lot of it is discarded after it's run through a fine sieve (it's mostly the woody parts, but they are still quite tasty).