I am a sucker for a great seasonal soup, and I love making this cream of asparagus in the Spring months. This wonderful dish can be served hot or cold, and would make an excellent addition and starter course to your Easter meal. I love to triple this recipe and bring for a quick and easy lunch as well.

You will need:

2 tbsp. butter

2 cloves garlic

2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed then cut into 1 inch pieces

kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

fresh chopped chives and dill for garnish.

Begin by taking your chopped garlic and placing it into your melted butter in a heavy pot. Stir the garlic for only about a minute. You do not want it to burn or brown, as that will leave a bitter taste.

Next, add your asparagus and season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Be very careful to not over-salt. Salt enhances flavor but there is butter, stock, and it can be easy to get carried away. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.

Next, add your broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, but still green, 10 to 15 minutes.

The next step is VERY important. 1. Do not overcrowd your blender and 2. Do not put boiling hot soup into your blender- there will be no way for the steam to escape and it will essentially explode on you. (I might have learned this the hard way). With an immersion or regular blender, puree the soup once it has cooled down. Return it all back to the pot and stir in your cream.

Then, warm over low heat and taste for additional seasoning. I garnished with fresh herbs from my garden and made homemade croutons simply by cutting bread into cubes and seasoning with olive oil, cayenne pepper, herbs de province, and kosher salt, and placed in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes.

I ended up quadrupling this batch to give to my parents for lunches (I should be winning favorite child award any day now) and I am excited to eat this for lunch for a few days.

This dish truly got me through the pandemic. Enjoy the seasonal foods that are all around. Cheers and Happy Easter/ Passover!