Asparagus Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 medium potatoes
1 onion
2 celery ribs
4 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine
2 (15 ounce) cans asparagus spears, undrained
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups milk
sour cream (optional)
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheddar monterey jack cheese mix) (optional)

Preparation

Peel and cube potatoes.
Chop onion and celery; mince garlic.
Melt butter in a Dutch oven; add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until tender.
Stir in potato, asparagus, and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes; cool.
Process asparagus mixture with an immersion blender until smooth (or in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth); return mixture to Dutch oven.
Add milk, and cook, stirring often, just until soup is thoroughly heated.
Serve hot or chilled with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
Note: If serving hot and you are a cheese lover, add in the optional shredded cheese and stir to melt and blend before serving. Serve with additional shredded cheese with optional sour cream on top to garnish.