Chilled Broccoli Soup 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.

THE BEST BROCCOLI-CHEDDAR SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, broccoli, bay leaves, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and few grinds of black pepper Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the broth has thickened and the broccoli is very tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prick the potato all over with a fork and put on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high until tender, flipping halfway through, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then peel. Use a fork or potato masher to mash until crumbly.
• Reserve 2 cups of the soup in a liquid measuring cup and discard the bay leaves. Let the remaining hot soup cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling no more than halfway. Add the mashed potato. Remove the center cap from the lid and place it on the blender. Cover the lid with a folded kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until very smooth.
• Stir the pureed soup and reserved 2 cups of soup back into the pot. Whisk in the cheese until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and top with more shredded Cheddar.

CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium pot, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes.
• Add flour and cook, stirring, until combined, 1 minute.
• Whisking constantly, add broth and 1 cup water and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.
• Add broccoli and bring to a simmer. Cook until broccoli is very tender, 20 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl. In batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth; to allow heat to escape, remove cap from hole in lid, cover lid with a dish towel, and hold down firmly while blending. Return soup to pot as pureed.
• Add cream and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with broth or water, if desired.

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.

SIMPLE CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, melt butter and cook onion until tender over medium high heat. Add potato and toss to coat with butter. Add hot stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in broccoli and return to a simmer. When potato and broccoli are tender, puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to pot and add cream. Season to taste and serve warm.

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook briefly to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the broccoli, and season with salt and pepper, to taste Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, then cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully add the soup to a blender, in small batches, and blend until smooth. Pour the puree into a clean large saucepan over low heat. Add hot water to thin, if necessary. Whisk in all but 1/2 cup of the mascarpone. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as necessary.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with a small dollop of mascarpone.

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potato, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the potatoes are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
• Add all but 2 to 3 of the broccoli florets, bring back to a simmer and cook until the broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Remove from the heat, and let cool at least 5 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme and carefully puree until smooth with a handheld immersion blender or in 2 to 3 batches in a blender (do not fill blender more than halfway full).
• Meanwhile, cut the reserved broccoli florets in half, lengthwise. Put in a small microwave-safe bowl, toss with a splash of water and a pinch of salt, cover and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Add the cream and reheat the soup if necessary. Adjust the consistency and seasoning with water, salt and pepper.
• Serve hot and garnish each soup with a broccoli half.

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.

EASY BUT ELEGANT BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; cook the onion, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the stock and bring to a boil; add the broccoli.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches and transfer to a glass bowl.
• Stir in the cream; season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until chilled.
• Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
• If you prefer hot soup, serve when ready with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on each serving.

BEST CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery until tender. Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
• In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 tablespoons butter, stir in flour and add milk. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. Season with pepper and serve.

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP FOR THE SOUL

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring broth, broccoli (about 1 med. head will yield 3 cups chopped broccoli) and celery to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium and simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir occasionally.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute.
• With a whisk or wooden spoon, add milk gradually, beating constantly to prevent lumping.
• (It will thicken like paste at first; keep beating in milk to thin it.) Bring to a boil.
• If you want a smooth soup, puree broccoli in blender.
• Now add broccoli mixture (smooth or chunky) into large saucepan with the milk.
• Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
• Serve immediately.