Asparagus and spinach soup topped with chive crème fraîche

Ingredients

• 12 stems of asparagus stems removed and finely chopped
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 50g of unsalted butter
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 800ml of vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp of freshly chopped chives
• 100g of spinach
• 4 tbsp of crème fraîche (1 tbsp per soup portion)

Method

Prepare the asparagus by removing the hard stems (keep four of the asparagus heads for garnishing the soup) then finely chop.

Place a saucepan on the heat, add a little olive oil and the butter, then add the diced onion and garlic sweat for 5 minutes on a low heat.

Now add the chopped asparagus and continue to sweat for another couple of minutes, add the vegetable stock bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add your spinach to the soup and simmer for 2 minutes then remove from the heat and put into a blender and blitz in batches. The spinach always goes in last thing to make sure it retains that lovely green colour.

Once the soup is blended, put through a sieve to remove any lumps, mix your crème fraîche with the chopped chives and a touch of salt and pepper to taste.

To serve pour your hot soup into the bowl, place a spoonful of the chive crème fraîche on top of the soup and the asparagus head on top of the crème fraîche.

Thanks to www.british-asparagus.co.uk for permission to use this recipe.