asparagus soup

this soup screams spring to me...if you like asparagus...you will love it...

ingredients/supplies:
-2-3 bunches of organic asparagus (2 bunches if you are using thick stalks and 3 if they are a bit thinner - i recommend the thicker stalks if given a choice)
-1 small white or yellow onion (if it is a large onion - use only 1/2)
-1 shallot
-1 leek
-2 stalks of celery
-1 box (32oz) of organic, low sodium veggie or chicken broth (homemade broth or canned broth works too)
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-a dash of white vinegar
- you will need a blender or immersion blender, a soup pot, a knife, a vegetable peeler, and a cutting board...if you decide to use a few tips of the asparagus for decoration, you will also need a smaller pot for blanching the tips

prepping/chopping/cooking:

prep:
-rinse the leek and celery with water
-rinse the asparagus with water
-hold the tip of the asparagus with one hand and with the thumb of your other hand, run your thumb along the stalk until you find the natural breaking point of the end and discard it
-reserve a few asparagus tips by cutting the prettiest tips for decoration if you care to top the soup with the tips
-with the vegetable peeler, lightly peel the asparagus to remove the leaves (or spikes as i call them)
-put your pot (or pots -if you are using the tips for decoration) on the stove
-get your blender or immersion blender out

chop:
-chop the onion, celery, shallot and asparagus into 1/2 pieces - whatever shape you fancy as it will all be blended in the end
-chop the leek (first discarding the root) by chopping the white portion into rings (stop cutting at the point where the leek starts to turn light green - you will only use the white portion for this soup)

cook:
-heat the stove to medium heat and place the soup pot on the heat
-add the olive oil to the heated pot
-add the leek, celery, onion and shallot and saute until the colors turn bright and the onions look a bit translucent
-add the cut asparagus and add them to the veggies
-add the broth to just cover the veggies and stir
-lightly boil until the asparagus are tender
-if you wish to top the soup with the tips that you have set aside for decoration, you will blanch them by heating a bit of stalk in a small pot, bring the stalk to boil, and toss in the tips...boil just until the tips turn bright green, drain, and run the tips under cold water to stop the cooking process and set them aside (this process makes sure that the tips hold their color)
-use an immersion blender or blender to blend the soup to a smooth texture...you may need to add more broth to reach your desired creaminess
-add salt and pepper to taste
-add a dash of white vinegar and give a final stir

enjoy!