NaBloPoMo Day 6: Four Ingredient Asparagus Soup

So it has gotten straight up COLD here. Mornings in the low 40's and afternoons in the mid 50's. That is cold for this former Florida girl! So we've been having a lot of soup.

One of my recent favorites is Asparagus Soup. I remember having it for the first time when I was a teenager and we took Mom out for a Mother's Day dinner at one of the Disney Resorts. It was fresh and creamy and fabulous!

My dad started making Asparagus Brie Soup about two years ago and it is totally delicious. He made it for us when they were in town the weekend prior to Halloween and I was reminded of how much R and I enjoy this dish.

I just so happened to have half a container of chicken stock and some leftover asparagus in the fridge threatening to go bad, so of course I had to make us some soup on Monday night!

My plans started out for a full on redux of dad's Asparagus Brie Sou, including a round of our favorite brie cheese. However, once the blending was done, the finished product was so silky and rich that cheese wasn't required. Darn, I'll just have to eat the brie later on some hot, crusty bread!

Although this soup is rich enough for a main course, you can also have it as a side or even an appetizer. The unexpected flavor of asparagus would be sure to wow guests at a dinner party, too. If you wanted to bust this out at your next brunch, asparagus soup is served with a poached egg on toast points.

This soup is made for substitutions, too! My dad pointed out that the asparagus can be exchanged for peeled potatoes in order to make potato leek soup. I use the same basic concept for my cauliflower soup, too. The leeks can be substituted for a large onion if your supermarket is out. You can increase the chicken stock for a thinner, Springtime soup or leave it as is for a stick-to-your-ribs Winter soup.

Although a fair amount of fat from the butter (and brie, if you're using it) there's 5 grams of protein per one cup serving as made below, which is pretty impressive in my book.

Four Ingredient Asparagus Soup

• 1.5 to 2 bunches of asparagus (thin or thick, doesn't matter!), cut into 1" pieces
• 2 to 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 2 Leeks, chopped and rinsed
• 4T Salted Butter

In a large sauce pot or medium soup pot, melt butter until foaming. Add rinsed leeks and sweat until mostly translucent. Add asparagus and stir until the stalks turn bright green. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer, 20 minutes. Do something fun, like check blogs while you wait. Uncover and blend with immersion blender or an actual blender, whichever you happen to have, until smooth. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

If you want to add the brie, now's the time. Don't add any extra salt, though! Trim all rind from the cheese, cube, and stir into soup. Allow to melt for 5 minutes or so and then spin with the blender again to distribute.

Enjoy your dinner with a large glass of water and the nagging worry that you will smell asparagus in the bathroom for the next 30 hours. Eat the soup anyway.