Cream of Broccoli Soup

When I was a kid, cream of whatever soup came in a can, contained my monthly sodium intake, and was usually used to flavor chicken and rice.  It was almost always beige, even if the "whatever" in the soup was a green vegetable like broccoli or asparagus.  In other words: yuck.  That said, home made cream of whatever soup is really good! And in the case of cream of broccoli soup, it's actually green! There's a lot of broccoli in it and not a lot of whatever would make the soup beige.

This recipe is from The New Moosewood Cookbook and is vegetarian.  It has relatively few ingredients and is easy to make, especially if you have an immersion blender.  I seasoned mine with a bit of black salt at the end, that's what the flecks are in the picture.  Even though there is no heavy cream in this soup (I used 1% milk), it was still nice and creamy (and healthier).

Cream of Broccoli Soup
Serves 2
From The New Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups chopped broccoli
1/2 cup broccoli florets, sliced thin and lightly steamed (to go on top of the soup)
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 cup sour cream (lowfat ok)
1/8 tsp allspice
black and/or white pepper to taste
dash of thyme
1/4 tsp fresh chopped basil

Helpful equipment: immersion blender!

Method

1) Melt the butter in a pot large enough to contain all ingredients.  Add the onion, bay leaf, and salt.  Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent (about 5 mins).

2) Add the green pepper, chopped broccoli, and water.  Cover, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is very tender.

3) Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf.  Add the milk slowly while using an immersion blender to puree the soup.  (Alternatively, pour the soup into a blender and gradually add the milk while pureeing).  Make sure the soup is pureed really well.

4) Whisk in the sour cream and remaining seasonings.  Then heat gently.  Serve in bowls topped with the steamed broccoli florets.