Donald ‘Doc’ Voorhies prepares a pot of one of his specialties, ‘Doc’s Real World Asparagus Soup.’ A few spears of fresh asparagus from a friend’s garden that spirals from a vase on the counter is a sign spring is here.

Spring vegetables are here. It’s time to enjoy one of the most eagerly awaited seasonal vegetable that is just as light and fresh as the spring season — asparagus.

Put the canned or frozen asparagus aside and serve up a dish of fresh asparagus filled with flavor and packed with nutrients.

Boiled, grilled, pickled or marinated, the elegant green-speared vegetable can lend flavor to any meal. Make a salad, serve it as a side dish in a hollandaise sauce, make a creamy soup or use it as the star ingredient in a spring stir-fry.

When the tender green vegetable begins to appear in supermarkets during the peak of its season, friends of Donald “Doc” Voorhies are fairly confident they will get a sample of one of his most-liked dishes — “Doc’s Real World Asparagus Soup.”

Voorhies, an avid cook who takes pleasure in gathering with friends to share some of his favorite dishes and enjoys cooking for fund-raisers, said asparagus is one of those fresh vegetables that takes little preparation time, but is packed with flavor and can be cooked in a variety of dishes.

“Everyone seems to like my soup. It is a really old recipe that was given to me by a friend in Pennsylvania while I was living in the area. The recipe comes from a 1770s cookbook, but I made a few alterations to the recipe along the way,” said Voorhies.

“It is one of those soups that you can easily plan a luncheon around. Just add a sandwich or salad and you have a light meal. It only takes about 15 minutes of preparation time for the ingredients,” said Voorhies.

Although the recipe does call for half and half, Voorhies said the soup is a little different than one cooked in Cajun country since the base is lighter.

To tackle those tough asparagus stalks, snap off the bottom of the woody ends. If making a stir-fry or salad, try shaving the whole stalk by holding the spear at the bottom and running a peeler toward the tip to create thin strips.

Voorhies offers these tips when cooking asparagus. Wash asparagus, trim the bottom and place in a pot large enough that the asparagus lies flat.

“Just cover with with water and add about 1 teaspoon olive oil and turn flame on high. When it comes to a boil, reduce flame to medium high,” he said.

Voorhies said large asparagus can take 20 minutes to cook while medium may take only 5 to 10 minutes and smaller asparagus even less time.

“Pick one as a test. It should have no crunch. Once cooked, take out, quickly run cool water if desired, dry on a paper towel and then salt lightly,” he said.

Fresh asparagus can be stored for a few days before cooking. To keep the vegetable at its freshest for up to three days, cut a thin slice from the base of each stalk and stand stalks upright in a vase-like container, with approximately 1 inch of water. Cover the asparagus loosely and refrigerate. For an alternate storage method, wrap the bottoms in a damp paper towel and place in an unsealed plastic bag and refrigerate for up to four days.