Cream of Aspargus Soup

I must admit i've been away from my blog for quite some time now. Sadly, i lost my dearest grandfather earlier this month. Hopefully he's in a better place and in peace. It's comforting to remind myself what a full and long life he lived and most importantly the immense love of food he had.
In his memory, I'm making one of his favorite soups of all times: Asparagus soup.  I use fresh asparagus as well as canned ones in this recipe but i still find the canned ones alone as delicious.

Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 can Asparagus spears, reserve 4 stems on the side
6-8 fresh Asparagus, cut in half (cut lower stems off)
1 leek, chopped
4 cups water(more or less depending on desired thickness)
freshly ground black pepper and salt
1/4 cup half and half (or light cream)
1 chicken bouillon (cube)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Heat oil in a deep saucepan and sautee leeks for 5 min. Add fresh asparagus and toss for a couple of min. Add canned asparagus and water. Let it cook for 30 min or until asparagus holds no resistance to fork. Turn the heat off. Add bouillon. Blend using a hand mixer until soup has a smooth texture. Add light cream and stir. Cut reserved asparagus stems into 3 and mix into soup.
Bon appetit!

Nutrition Facts: Asparagus is loaded with nutrients, contains no fat, no cholesterol and very low amounts of sodium. Pair it boiled, roasted or grilled with your meal and enjoy.