Fresh Asparagus Soup

For a while now, I've been planning to make asparagus soup and last night, I made my first batch.

Over the years, I've collected a number of asparagus soup recipes and picked the first in my collection.

Fresh Asparagus Soup
3/4 lb fresh asparagus (I used slightly over a pound)
5 c water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c chicken broth (I used homemade stock)
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne (omitted because I figured my 4 yr old wouldn't appreciate it)
2 T plain yogurt (I used Nancy's organic, nonfat)

Break ends off asparagus. Cut remainder into 1-inch pieces. In saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus, cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain; reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid. Puree asparagus and reserved liquid in food processor until smooth. Pour puree into saucepan and stir in broth, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.

To accompany the soup, I made Parmesan croutons using the baguette from the night before. I finely shredded Parmesan using my Zyliss shredder, topped thin slices of the baguette and threw them in the toaster for a bit.

This recipe is incredibly easy and tasty although, it's more of a starter than a main dish, even with a healthy serving of Parmesan croutons. It's a bit of a thin soup but it has a nice flavor, particularly with the croutons; I don't think I'd serve it without them.

One note, I tried my immersion blender to puree the asparagus but found that it was insufficient and had to use my food processor.