asparagus soup with sharp cheddar grilled cheese

A few weeks ago I had a minor panic attack that someone was going to climb up the fire escape of my building and into my bedroom.

When I relayed this to my friend, he said “No one would break into your building because they would get lost trying to get out.” Perks of living in a former Catholic school that looks like a castle.

However, when I realized that the window directly behind my bed didn’t lock, the panic re-emerged. I emailed my property management company and the response was “Did you try closing the window before locking it?”

I was infuriated. That’s like asking someone “Did you try turning on your car before driving it?”

What she SHOULD have said was “Your window is ancient, and the top part may have creeped open without you noticing which is why the window won’t lock. And maybe it’s been that way since you moved in.”

Lucky for me, I discovered this on my own when I got home from Baltimore on Sunday night to find approximately 100 flies hovering around that little crack in the top of the window. They were idiot flies, apparently, because I killed the vast majority in one disgusting swipe of a wad of paper towels. I’ve still had to smack down several with magazines over the past two days. It’s a quite literal game of survival of the fittest. They’re losing.

I’m guessing they all came inside this weekend not because they knew I was partying hard in Baltimore, but because we finally have real fall weather and they aren’t equipped with their Northface jackets and Ugg boots. Too bad for you. Die flies.

In the midst of the massacre, I decided to make the first SOUP of this perfectly chilly fall season. And what goes better with soup than grilled cheese?

Asparagus Soup

2 lbs asparagus, woody ends removed

1 large leek, chopped and cleaned

1 large shallot, diced

2 tbs butter

3 tbs olive oil

2-3 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper

Toss the asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 425 for approximately 15 minutes. We don’t want them charred- just toasty but still green.

While the asparagus is in the oven, saute the leek and shallot in the butter with a sprinkle of salt over low heat. Again, we don’t want to brown them- just a little soft.

Remove the asparagus from the oven and give it a rough chop. Add it to the pot with the leek and shallot. Add your chicken stock, and bring to a boil. I used about half a box of stock because I wanted a thicker soup, but you can add more if you want it really drinkable.

Once the soup has been boiling for about 5 minutes, use an immersion blender (I wish) or transfer it to a Vitamix (I wish) or your food processor (that’s me!) to blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I almost added heavy cream here, too, but it tasted delicious already.

If you’re serving this to guests or you’re a wannabe rockstar food blogger, leave out a few asparagus tips to add as a garnish.