A simple broccoli soup recipe to whizz together on a cold winter day without too much fuss. I probably don’t need to tell you of the vast health benefits of broccoli – it is safe to say it is a vegetable that should earn a place in all our diets. You could also interchange purple sprouting for broccoli – equally delicious and nutritious but not so zesty green.
The only secret is giving the onion, spring onion, and fresh herbs and spices a little time to simmer in the butter and olive oil. Gently saute until translucent and then simmer in a good homemade vegetable or chicken stock. The soup is flavoured with a hint of cardamom, green peppercorns, lemon rind and plenty of garlic. And that is it!
To keep the soup bright and fresh, cook the broccoli separately in plenty of salted boiling water. Cook until just soft and then whizz up in its own water. Add the broccoli water to the onion mixture, bring briefly to the boil and whizz again.
Jazz up your broccoli soup with any of the following toppings.
- A generous dollop of crème fraîche whisked with a half a teaspoon of powdered cardamom
- Greek yoghurt with fresh mint, parsley or dill
- Mascarpone with green peppercorns, parsley and chives or spring onion
- My favourite – chunk of feta whizzed up with yoghurt and fresh chilli or spring onion
- A little melted gorgonzola with a dash of cream and a few crumbled walnuts
It takes about 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for lunch or super easy supper.
Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large head broccoli
- 50 g butter
- 1 large white onion – peeled and roughly chopped or two good sized small onions
- 2 large spring onions – roughly chopped using as much green as possible
- 3 cloves garlic – peeled and sliced
- 1 medium potato – peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp roughly crushed green peppercorns use dried or picked green peppercorns
- 3 cardamom pods or ¾ tsp powdered cardamom
- 3-4 cm strip lemon peel (about 1.5 inches)
- small bunch parsley and celery leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 750 ml chicken or vegetable stock plus a little milk to thin if necessary
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the butter and a dash of olive oil to a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions and spring onions, fry gently, and after about 5 minutes, add the potato, fresh herbs, lemon peel, crushed green peppercorn, and cardamom. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes on a low heat.
- Meanwhile, break up the broccoli florets and thinly slice as much of the stalk as possible. Add to a pan of boiling water with 1 tsp salt. Boil until just tender, drain, reserving about 300ml of cooking liquid. Whizz the broccoli in the reserved cooking water and set aside.
- Add the stock to the onion mixture and bring to a boil, then simmer until the potato is soft. Remove the lemon rind and bay leaf. Add the broccoli puree and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whizz again. Add a dash of milk if it is too thick.Serve with crusty bread and any of the garnishes below. If you are not using a garnish – swirl in a little cream or yoghurt to the soup and reserve some of the parsley or celery leaves to sprinkle on top.
Soup Toppings and Garnish
- A generous dollop of crème fraîche whisked with ½ tsp powdered cardamom and ½ tsp lemon zest.
- Greek yoghurt with a handful of chopped fresh mint, parsley or dill.
- My favourite – chunk of feta (80-100g) whizzed up with yoghurt and fresh chilli or spring onion.
- A little melted gorgonzola (about 60g) with a dash of cream and a few crumbled walnuts.
- Mascarpone with freshly ground green peppercorns and a tablespoon of finely chopped parsley and chives or spring onion.
Reader Interactions