Jan's Cream Of Asparagus Soup For The Crock Pot

Total Time: 7 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 7 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 lb fresh asparagus
• 2 onions, minced finely
• 2 potatoes, peeled, diced small
• 2 celery ribs, diced small, with tops included
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder or 8 teaspoons vegetable bouillon granules or 8 bouillon cubes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 sprig fresh tarragon, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, minced or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups half-and-half
• sour cream
• chives, chopped

Recipe

• 1 break off and discard the tough, thick end of each asparagus spear.
• 2 chop the spears into 1/4-inch slices and add to the crock pot along with all remaining ingredients down to and including the pepper.
• 3 add water to within 1 inch of the top of the crock pot.
• 4 cover the crock pot and cook on high for 6-7 hours.
• 5 about two hours before serving, use a slotted spoon to remove most of the vegetables to a blender.
• 6 use a ladle to add some of the liquid from the crock pot to the blender.
• 7 puree the mixture and add back in to the crock pot.
• 8 repeat once or twice more as necessary (you can leave some of the pieces in the crock pot for effect.) add approximately 1 cup of the half-and-half to the crock pot.
• 9 add the corn starch to the remaining half-and-half in the carton.
• 10 close the carton well and shake vigorously.
• 11 add the mixture to the crock pot.
• 12 continue to cook on high for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• 13 serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives sprinkled on the sour cream.