Good Enough To Share

The garden co-op is in full swing again, planting and tilling and chasing the little kids around the farm. New and different this year is the asparagus patch. We pick pounds and pounds every time we go out to the garden. I did not know asparagus was one of those "signs of spring" things until now. I feel pretty neutral about asparagus. The only way I know to eat it is steamed and with mustard.
Now I have to learn how to use it for real, because we have a bunch of it, and I feel so guilty when wholesome, fresh produce turns to compost on my watch. I love that I can just search any ol' food online and get more recipes than I could hope to use (or even read!). The first one I found for asparagus that sounded easy-and-yummy-and-I-have-all-the-stuff-for-it was for a creamy asparagus soup. It was pretty easy, and it turned out really yummy! Even Gabba ate it. So, I must share.

Creamed Asparagus Soup
3 T. butter
1 leek, sliced
1 T. minced garlic
1 lb. fresh asparagus, washed and cut crosswise in thirds
1 C. chicken broth
1 C. water
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 C. cream cheese, chive-and-onion flavor
1/4 C. milk
OK, I didn't actually have all the stuff for it. I minced and sauteed half an onion in place of the leek, and I just added a tablespoon of dried chives and a teaspoon of onion powder to my plain-jane cream cheese. And I realize that the cream cheese completely undoes whatever health benefits we may have gained from eating this soup. But it was delish.
Anyway, directions:

Melt butter in medium saucepan (I started out in a saucepan, but ended up in a skillet when I added the asparagus, because I was in kind of a hurry) on medium heat. Add leeks; cook 5 min. or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add asparagus, broth and water; stir. Simmer on medium-low heat 5 min. or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, mix cream cheese spread and milk until well blended. Add asparagus mixture to blender, in batches; blend until smooth. Spoon into soup bowls. Add cream cheese mixture; swirl gently with spoon. For a great presentation, puree soup without the cream cheese. Then mix cream cheese and milk into a pourable mixture and swirl in for a beautiful and flavorful finish. Garnish with asparagus tips.

Personally, I think that last part sounds lovely, but totally impractical. I'm not trying to impress my kids. I was thrilled that they would even try it, let alone eat it. I pureed the whole thing all together. There was no gentle swirling involved. And let me just say that the key part of this whole recipe was the blender. I would have eaten it just fine with chunks of onion/leek and asparagus floating around. It looked fine to me. But I pander to a much finickier crowd. And it was a hit! The only dissenter was Eliza. Which surprised no one.

I must tell you, this is a light soup. It is by no means a stand-alone meal. I made Parmesan toast under the broiler, and even with that, Mark finished his up with a slurp and said, "Well, that was a taste first course. What's next?" But if you have asparagus in need of eating, or even a hankering for something new and savory, give this one a try!