Make this recipe a recipe that people in that category can eat. categories: ['vegetarian'], recipe: break off tough ends of asparagus and discard. cut tips off asparagus and set aside. cut remainder of asparagus stems into 1 inch pieces. in a frying pan, add butter and chopped onions and saute' until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. in a large saucepan, add water, cubed potatoes, asparagus pieces, saute'ed onions and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. in a food processor or blender, puree' soup in batches and return to saucepan. add chicken soup base, fennel seeds, pepper, salt and asparagus tips and cook on medium heat until tips are soft and start to dissolve, about 10 minutes. adjust seasonings to taste. serve soup hot.

Target recipe: wash and cut up the celery and put it in a large pot with the water and the canned beans, including the packing liquid from the beans. heat to a simmer. wash the asparagus, and snap off both the tough ends and the tips. grind the spices and add them to the soup. add the asparagus stalks and ends to the soup and simmer until quite tender; about 10 minutes. reserve the tips. remove the tough stem ends from the soup and discard. puree the soup thoroughly in a blender. the soup may be made ahead up to this point; it should keep in the fridge for 24 hours. to serve, add the cream (if using) and reheat the soup gently. steam the reserved tips separately until tender. serve the soup garnished with the steamed tips.