Broccoli deliciousness

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This makes a big pot of thick, delicious soup.  It’s a great way to use up some cream left over from other cooking projects.  It is loosely based on Molie Katzen’s Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook.

2-3 T butter
1 large onion, diced finely
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
10 c chopped broccoli (peel & slice stems if using, reserve some small florets for the finished soup)
1-2 c water or broth of choice
2 +/- c milk or cream
½ t thyme
2 bay leaves
2 t dried parsley
dash or tamari or soy sauce
ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in large soup pot.  Add onions and bay leaves to pot and sautee onions gently in melted butter until softened.  Add celery and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.   Add broccoli and enough water or broth to almost cover the broccoli –don’t forget to reserve some of the florets.

Cook broccoli until tender.  Remove bay leaves.  Blend until very smooth.  Return pot to heat, add thyme, parsley, tamari.  Add broccoli florets, cook until just tender.  Add 2 cups of milk or cream.  Heat to just below boiling, remove from heat.  Adjust amount of milk or broth to suit your taste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Delicious add-ins:

Shredded cheddar cheese, added when the cream is hot.
Shredded carrots and/or diced sweet red pepper, added with the broccoli florets.
Sub leeks for the onion.  Oh. my.
Sneak in some shredded zucchini to add subtle vegetable flavor and body.
A dash of your favorite hot sauce for some subtle background warmth
A bit of buttermilk with the cream or milk
A dollop of sour cream or yogurt when serving