Chilled Broccoli Soup With Lemon And Herbs Food

VERY GREEN BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Cut the broccoli florets from the stems. Peel the tough outer skin from the stems and trim off the fibrous ends. Cut the stems lengthwise into slices about 1/2-inch thick and then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until light brown. Add the onion and celery, lower the heat to medium, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables slowly until tender, about 10 minutes. Regulate the heat so the vegetables cook without taking on color.
• Add the thyme and stir. Add the broccoli stems, stock, and salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for about 3 minutes. Add the florets and continue to cook until very tender, about 5 minutes more.
• Puree the soup in a blender in small batches. Add some of the spinach and some of the lemon zest to each batch and then puree it. (The soup can be made to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
• Return the soup to the pan and reheat over gentle heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Chef's Note: When I plan on finishing a dish with the addition of a dairy product, as I do here with cream, I often add a dairy product early in the cooking, too, as I do with the butter in the initial cooking of the vegetables. It melds the flavors.

CHILLED BROCCOLI SOUP WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Combine the broth, broccoli, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer; reserve the broth. Transfer the broccoli mixture remaining in the strainer to a food processor. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and mint; puree, adding the reserved broth 1⁄4 cup at a time, until the mixture is liquid but creamy. Let cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. (Refrigerate or freeze any remaining broth for another use.) Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon of the sour cream or yogurt cheese, if using. Yields 1 cup per serving.

CHILLED BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Trim off the large leaves on the broccoli, and remove the tough end of the lower stalks. Wash broccoli thoroughly. Remove the tough skin on the stalk, then chop all the broccoli coarsely. Set aside.
• 2. Saute onion and garlic in oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until tender. Add the water and bouillon cubes, stirring until the bouillon cubes dissolve.
• 3. Add the reserved broccoli, parsley, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• 4. Transfer half of the broccoli mixture to a blender; process on high speed 1 minute or until smooth, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Repeat the procedure with the remaining half of the broccoli mixtre.
• 5. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover and chill. To serve, ladele soup into individual soup bowls. Top each serving with yogurt.

HERBY BROCCOLI & PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 8 mins until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Tip in the broccoli, peas and chard, then pour over the stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 mins.
• Stir through the herbs, lemon zest and juice, then blitz the soup with a stick blender until completely smooth. Ladle into bowls and serve with the toasted pumpkin seeds scattered over the top.