Before bidding farewell to this elegant vegetable, I wanted to make one more dish. I can count at least 20 different ways to present asparagus. From the more elaborate such as soufflé to the common with eggs, or rolled in prosciutto.

Perhaps because I’m nursing a sore throat—spring changed it’s mind and cooler temperatures were a bitter surprise this past week—I decided to make a very creamy Cream of Asparagus.

Dense and enveloping the asparagus cream is a healthy and colorful first course that tastes like spring (that we don’t have).

To prepare it, in addition to asparagus, you need a few ingredients: a potato (which will make the soup even creamier), a good vegetable stock and an onion, which can be replaced with shallots, which is what I did.

In this recipe I have enriched the asparagus cream with croutons, but a valid combination is with goat cheese or crème fraiche.

Starting by finely chopping the onion or shallot, sautéed in olive oil, add the asparagus—peeled and chopped—keep a few tops for decoration later; add them to the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, add the vegetable stock, chop the potato and add that as well.

Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Remove the tops for decoration, and blend the rest. Serve in individual plates, add the tops and the croutons for effect, and/or the eventual goat cheese, or crème fraiche.

Extra bonus: this is one of those dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and it is therefore suitable when there are guests, as opening for an elaborated dinner.