asparagus, potato, leek soup with parmesan

this ain't no wimpy asparagus soup.

this is a real soup. real delicious. my all time favorite soup at hale and hearty is asparagus, potato, and leek. i ate it for lunch everyday for a week. i'm crazy about it. so when i saw a recipe for asparagus soup with parmesan in the great cookery book Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, i was intrigued. theirs doesn't have parmesan. hers doesn't have potato. drastic measures were called for.

• 2 leeks, white and lt green parts only, rinsed and diced
• 1 shallot, peeled and diced
• 1qt. vegetable stock
• 1 small to medium potato, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch asparagus (about 20-25 medium size), washed and tough ends removed
• 1 parmesan rind
• 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• olive oil, salt and pepper

1. add stock to a sm sauce pot and heat until simmering while you cook the veg.
2. sweat the leeks and shallot in a dutch oven or soup pot. when they're translucent, add the stock, potato, and rind. simmer for 20 minutes.
3. cut the heads off the asparagus and set them aside. dice the rest of the stalks and add to the soup, simmering for 5 minutes.
4. let soup cool slightly and add it to the blender.(or use a hand blender to whizz it up in the pot) taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper. leaving the blender lid open, and covered with a kitchen towel, blend the soup to your desired consistency. i like it to have a little chunkiness, but still mostly combined.
5. preheat the broiler. mix together the asparagus tips, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and grated parmesan. spread onto a baking sheet, and broil until golden and bubbling. carefully flip over and broil the other side. divide the broiled tips among the bowls at serving time.

serves 4