Cream of Asparagus Soup

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We are big asparagus fans in our family, and I love to cook up some asparagus soup when the weather gets cooler. I've adapted this recipe from one I used from my mother's 1943 edition of, The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, that she used when she was a live in maid and cook.

Ingredients

About 2 lbs. of asparagus (After woody ends are removed and asparagus is cooked, it will come to about 3 cups. ) 
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups asparagus water (Reserve water after cooking asparagus. If it doesn't come to 2 cups, add  
                                       enough water to bring it to the 2 cup level.)
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
1 cup half n half or milk
kosher salt and course ground pepper to taste

Cook asparagus just until tender. After cooking asparagus, reserve asparagus water and asparagus tips.  Return 2 cups of asparagus water back into the soup pot along with 3 cups of chicken broth. Add stalk portion of asparagus along with the thinly sliced onion into the pot and simmer until tender, about 25 mins. While asparagus is cooking, make roux from butter and flour and set aside.



Once asparagus is tender, I like to use a potato masher to mash the onion and asparagus, and then use a hand held blender sparingly to get just the right consistency. Add roux to pot until soup is thickened. Then add whipping cream, asparagus tips, and salt and pepper to taste.