Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus
6 cups chicken stock or canned broth
1/2 cup minced shallot
1 potato, grated
Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste
Plain low-fat yogurt (can be made from natural cultures, or artificial - the natural version is often on the sour side but many prefer its taste) or low-fat sour cream for garnish
Grated lemon peel for garnish
Snipped fresh dill for garnish

Cooking Recipe:

Peel and trim the asparagus, reserving the trimmings. In a large saucepan bring stock or broth to a simmer, add trimmings and let stand 15 minutes.

Rinse spears, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2 pieces, reserving tips. Strain stock or broth into a large saucepan and add the asparagus stalks, shallot, potato and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and simmer (means to cook slowly) the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water (if your tap water is hard, that is with a lot of minerals, you may want to use bottled water to maintain consistency and taste) blanch the asparagus tips until just tender, drain and refresh.

In a food processor or blender puree the soup in batches until smooth, correct seasoning and return to saucepan. Heat until hot.

To serve: ladle soup into bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips, yogurt, lemon peel and dill.