Creamy Asparagus Soup With Fennel - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup brown rice or 1/2 cup pearl barley
4 cups nonfat chicken broth or 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup low-fat milk
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Separate the fennel fronds from the bulb and stems. Finely mince the fronds to yield 1/2 cup. Slice the fennel bulb and stems.
Cut off 1 1/2 inches of the asparagus tips and set aside. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the tough skin off the asparagus stalks, then cut into 1-inch pieces.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel stems, asparagus stalks, and onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the rice or barley and broth, cover, and simmer over low heat 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rice or barley is very tender.
Transfer saucepan contents to a blender or food processor and puree to the desired consistency in several batches if necessary. Return the puree to the pan and stir in 1 cup of the milk, the reserved fennel fronds, the asparagus tips, salt, and pepper. IF the soup seems too thick, stir in additional milk. Heat until the asparagus tips are crisp-tender, about 1 1/2 minutes.