1largewhite onion - peeled and roughly choppedor two good sized small onions
2 largespring onions - roughly chopped using as much green as possible
3clovesgarlic - peeled and sliced
1mediumpotato - peeled and roughly chopped
1tsproughly crushed green peppercornsuse dried or picked green peppercorns
3cardamom pods or ¾ tsp powdered cardamom
3-4cm strip lemon peel (about 1.5 inches)
smallbunchparsley and celery leaves
1bay leaf
750mlchicken or vegetable stockplus 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.