Creamy asparagus soup

I bought two packets of asparagus today, although it wasn't part of the grocery shopping plan I couldn't resist, so I made the first creamy asparagus soup of the year. It isn't the easiest recipe, but can be done in an hour, maybe a bit more if you are as clumsy with the peeling as I am...:)

Ingredients for a bigger batch

• 2 packets of asparagus (1 kg)
• 1,25 l of water
• salt
• 2 tbl spoons of cream
• 2 tbl spoons of starch

Peel the asparagus. In this recipe you will use the lower and upper parts separately. The easiest way to separate these parts is to bend the asparagus gently so that it breaks. You will need the lower parts for their taste only. Cut these in equal parts so that it is easier to handle them, and cook them in the water with some salt until they become soft. Blend the soup and separate the water and the fibers of the asparagus with a sieve, press all the water out of the fibers. Throw the fibers out. Cut the remaining upper parts in equal pieces and cook them in the soup base. Meanwhile mix the cream with the starch and add the mixture to the soup when the asparagus pieces are cooked. 

Asparagus and potato tart

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's show, "Jamie at home", more specifically from the second season, the episode about asparagus. Its quite easy and quick but really filling, we liked it a lot :)

Ingredients

• a packet of filo pastry
• 2 bunches of green asparagus
• 8-10 potatoes
• 2 dl of cream
• 10-15 dkg of grated cheese
• 3 eggs
•  2.5 dkg of butter, melted

Blanch the asparagus in boiling salt water in about 5-10 minutes. Peel the potatoes and cook them in salt water as well. While doing that, get the filo pastry, do a little bit of wallpapering with the melted butter on each of the layers, and lay them in the tart pan. Drain the asparagus and let it cool. Drain the potatoes as well and start mashing them in a dish. Add the cheese, the cream, salt and pepper and basically make mashed potatoes. Add the 3 eggs and mix the whole thing. Pour the mashed potatoes into the pan and lay the asparagus on top of it. Cover them with the rest of the melted butter so that it doesnt dry out in the oven. My tart spent 30 minutes in the oven at 180 C, but Jamie said 20 minutes, anyways you can always check it with a needle or knife. Allow it cool for 20 minutes, and serve it.