Asparagus Soup

Once again I found myself with a sick girlfriend in need of soup.  This time I had a whole bunch of asparagus and potatoes in the fridge so I stopped by the market on the way home from work for a few complimenting ingredients and got to work.

onion
garlic
1 fennel bulb
3-4 small potatoes
asparagus (about a pound I think)
cream
yogurt
chives

I meant to use chicken stock as my base but discovered I was out after I had already started cooking so I went without. It still worked out just fine.  I like using fennel in these all-veggie soups because it adds an almost meaty heartiness to recipes. I hear it's a common seasoning in making sausage so maybe our taste buds are just salivating to the ring of a bell so to speak.

Saute onions and garlic.  Add fennel and cook about 5 min.  Add potatoes and just enough water to barely cover the potatoes.  Boil until potatoes are tender, then add the asparagus and put the lid on so they get steamed.  After about 3-4 min the asparagus will be tender and you can blend it.   I added a little cream to each batch I put in the blender but I think yogurt would work too if you're looking for the low fat option.  I added some sliced ham on top just to get a little protein into the meal - it was tasty.