Asparagus Soup

I looooooove asparagus in spring. Heck, I love asparagus any time of year, but enjoying a vegetable in season is where it's at. If you have a half hour and want to use the extra asparagus you have laying around, try out this recipe. Not only are we using one seasonal vegetable, but I've thrown in spring-only fresh garlic and green garlic stalks for good measure. If you're not reading this in the spring, then just replace the garlic stalks with leeks or any other vegetable that has a mild onion flavor.

Ingredients
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 1/2 TBSP flour
- 1 head garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup green garlic stalks, cleaned and sliced thin
- 1 bunch asparagus, with dry ends snapped off and snipped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- salt and pepper to taste

How To Cook It
1) Using a dutch oven or stock pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and sliced garlic stalks. Sauté until both are tender.
2) Stir in the flour (make sure to blend it in well), and cook for an additional few minutes.
3) Pour in the wine and use the liquid to remove the browned garlic and garlic stalk pieces from the bottom of the pan so that they can add flavor to your soup.
4) Add the vegetable broth, asparagus, rosemary, ginger, salt, and pepper.
5) Simmer until the asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the color of your asparagus. When it turns bright green, it's pretty close to being done. Going from that nice green to a browner color means that you've overcooked it.
6) Remove the soup from the heat and purée until smooth using an immersion blender, food processor, blender, etc.
7) Place your pot back on the stove and add your milk. Cook for an additional five minutes and serve.