Recipe: Broccoli soup, with roquefort—a warming winter soup [vegetarian option]
Broccoli was, for a long time, a vegetable that I really struggled with. My memories of it were filled with sad, overcooked, plain boiled broccoli that had a mushy texture and tasted as drab as it looked. I quickly found that grilling broccoli florets that have been parboiled or sautéing them with garlic and flaked almonds are a good way to add more life into a bland vegetable. However, it was broccoli and stilton soup that finally converted me to this excellent vegetable; warming and hearty, perfect for winter days, this is now one of my favourite soups to make. It is not only an excellent introduction to anyone who is not a fan of broccoli, but it is also a gentle introduction to those who are not fond of blue cheese. This dish can easily be made vegetarian, though today I used chicken stock because it was what I had.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 x head of broccoli 300ml milk 300ml stock 1 x good grating of nutmeg 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 x bay leaf 1 x clove of garlic, crushed 1 x large shallot or small onion, finely diced 150g roquefort or other good blue cheese (optional) 1 x knob of butter
Method:
1. In a large pan on a low heat, sweat the shallot with the butter until very soft and translucent.
2. Whilst that is happening, remove the florettes from the broccoli and set aside. Cut the stalk into small pieces.
3. Add to the pan, the broccoli stalk, cayenne pepper, garlic, nutmeg and bay leaf. Turn this through the sweated shallot for a moment. Season with a good piece of black pepper, but do not add any salt.
4. Now add the stock and the milk. I used chicken stock, but veal stock works well (though I don’t use beef in any of my recipes, more about that on the blog). If you want to make this vegetarian, by all means use a good vegetable bouillon. Bring this up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the florets and cook for 4 or 5 minute, until they are tender when poked with a knife. Remove the bay leaf.
6. In a blender or food processor, blitz this, whilst hot, together with the blue cheese.
7. Now taste for seasoning. The blue cheese tends to be quite salty and I have found that no extra salt is usually necessary.
Tip: the cayenne pepper adds a nice warmth to the finished dish but it should be no more than warmth, this is not a spicy dish.