Asparagus cream soup

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 2 kg asparagus, including the peel
• Salt
• Sugar
• lemon juice
• 250 g butter
• ½ liter of milk
• 2 cups of sweet cream
• 500 g asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Flour
• chives

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 40 minutes

from asparagus peels

Pour 2 liters of hot water over the well-washed peels of 2 kg of asparagus. Add salt, sugar, lemon juice, and butter, cover, and simmer over low heat for a good 2 hours. Do not boil, as the bitterness will be drawn out of the peels during cooking. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, but do not brown it. Gradually add the milk, the cooled asparagus stock, and a cup of sweet cream. Whisk until the desired consistency is reached. Whip the second cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Season the soup to taste, add the asparagus pieces, and serve in a bowl sprinkled with whipped cream and chives. If serving as a main course, add diced ham and top with toasted white bread cubes. A quick tip: Cook the asparagus spears in the precooked asparagus stock for the main course; this will make both the asparagus and the soup even more flavorful.