Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon

We were in the produce section at the grocery a few weeks ago when Jack asked, "Why is the asparagus swimming?" Sure enough, dozens of bundles of asparagus were taking a leisurely soak in a shallow pool of water provided by the produce staff. I explained to Jack that that's how it stays alive and blah, blah, blah. And then he dove into the most obnoxious, hilarious thing about 4 year olds.

"Why does it need to grow?"

"Where does it grow?"

"Do asparagus have mommies?"

"Do I like asparagus?"

"Do you like asparagus?"

On and on we go. Question after question, like he is some grand interrogator. If I don't answer a question and I just say, "I don't know", he proclaims, "Yes you do!". So I end up lying a lot.

"Mom, where do the squirrels go when they go back into the rocks?"

"To the squirrel circus. That particular squirrel is a trapeze artist."



1/2 lb bacon, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 lb asparagus, chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter

In a large pot over medium high heat, saute bacon until crisp. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

In the leftover bacon grease, saute the onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add asparagus and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes- or until the asparagus is really tender. Stir in the heavy cream. In a blender or with an immersion blender, blend the soup. If using a blender, blend the soup in batches and then pour into a large bowl. Once all the soup is pureed, pour all of it back into the pot.

Once the soup is pureed, turn the heat to medium high and add the butter and stir until melted. Serve soup with a small handful of bacon on top.

Yields 6 servings.

Served with this: Sourdough bread (duh)