Asparagus Potato Soup *and the update*

frozen vegetable scraps that may normally

be thrown away or composted

garlic sea salt & pepper

6-8 cups of water

Put the vegetable scraps in a 5 qt. pot.  My 5 quart IKEA pot is my favorite!  This style also comes in 3, 10 and 15 quart sizes.

6 lg. cloves of garlic

2 sm. yellow onions

5 yellow potatoes

1-2T olive oil

½ orange pepper

1# asparagus

1 med. carrot

3 oz. Sofrito

later - ½ bunch cilantro

After the vegetable scraps and water have simmered, covered for 30-45 minutes, pour this all into a colander over a big bowl.  Strain, using a medium-fine mesh strainer, into another container.  Set this vegetable broth aside for now.  Mince the garlic and one onion.  Scrub and finely chop 2 of the potatoes.  Wash the original pot then add the above ingredients and heat with the oil, stirring, for just a few minutes until their scents release.

Dice the remaining potatoes, asparagus and carrot.  Add these, Sofrito and the strained vegetable broth to the pot.  Simmer this together, covered, on low-medium heat, 30-45 minutes.  Remove from the heat, stir in the finely chopped cilantro, using the leaves and stems.  This would be so good with some crusty garlic bread!

After the first servings, I'll blend the rest, and serve it with a little sour cream, roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and a sprinkle of chili powder for garnish.  It's fun to experiment with texture and flavors. . .Lin  

*And 'blend' I did!  The flavors came out so much better.  I also added ¾c of Vava Hot Ajvar to this to wake up the flavors even more!