Curtis Broccoli Soup Food

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.

BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt and pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and bring to boil.
• Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in cream. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot. Serve hot with Homemade Croutons.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut bread into cubes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
• Spread seasoned bread onto a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

CURRIED BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat, then add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 3-5 minutes).
• Add flour, curry powder, and cumin, and cook for about a minute, again stirring.
• Whisk in chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, whisking until smooth.
• Add broccoli and ground black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Using a slotted spood, remove the vegetables and put them in a blender, along with 1 cup of the liquid. Blend until smooth.
• Return blended mixture to the pot. Stir in the cream and cook for another couple of minutes to heat through, then serve.

CURTIS AIKENS' ABC SOUP

Steps:

• A is for vitamin A. We all know that Vitamin A is found in carrots, but it's also found in green vegetables like Asparagus and Artichokes 1/4 to 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces 6 artichoke bottoms (hearts) cut into quarters
• B is for Broccoli. Former President Bush was famous for not enjoying broccoli, but his wife Barbara loved it, and she was dedicated to the cause of reading, all across this country. I hope you'll join me in thanking Barbara Bush for all of her work with literacy. 2 heads of broccoli (and their trimmed stalks) cut into pieces
• C is for Carrots, yummy! I love carrots; they're sweet, crunchy and good for the eyes, teeth and bones. 3 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
• D is for Daikon, a vegetable used a lot in Asian cuisine. It adds a wonderful flavor to soup. 1 medium daikon, peeled and cut into pieces
• E is for Eggplant, not usually found in soups, but eggplant works, especially if you can find the small green Thai eggplant. You don't even have to peel them, just remove their caps. If you don't find Thai eggplant, purple eggplant will do nicely! 12 small Thai eggplant or 1 purple eggplant, peeled, diced and slightly sauteed in olive oil
• F is for Fungi; that means mushrooms! Any mushrooms will work; White button or Shiitake or Oyster. 2 handfuls of mushrooms, chopped and sauteed with a little bit of olive oil
• G is for Ginger. A fabulous root spice, the best of which comes from our 50th state, Hawaii. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Ginger root, peeled and very finely chopped.
• H is for HOT. If you like your soups spicy hot, you can add Habanero peppers, which is the hottest pepper of all. Not everyone appreciates Habanero; in this soup they are optional and should be handled by grown ups only! 2 to 3 Habaneros, seeded and finely diced
• I is for Ingredients. This is what cooks call all of the things that go into a recipe. I have never found a vegetable that starts with the letter I. If you can think of one, please let me know!!
• J is for Jicama, a delicious root vegetable, which is quite popular in the tropical regions of the world, and looks very much like a potato. 1/4 cup jicama, peeled and diced
• K is for Kohlrabi, a great vegetable that comes in red, green and sometimes white. The leafy top and globe shaped bottom are all good to eat. A few diced kohlrabi leaves or 1/8 cup kohlrabi bottom, peeled and diced
• L is for Lemongrass, which is used a lot in Asia. If you can't find it, you can substitute a little lemon juice, or a little of its peel. 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass or 1/2 teaspoon yellow lemon peel, grated
• M is for Maize, the Native American word for corn Kernels of 3 ears of corn
• N is for Nutmeg, a wonderful spice that smells good too! 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium-size saucepan, over medium heat, add the garlic, shallots, leeks, onion and thyme. Sweat in the butter until fragrant.
• Add the broccoli stem slices and saute until softened.
• Pour in the chicken stock and bay leaf and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, blanch the broccoli tips in a pot of boiling water over medium heat until bright green. Remove the tips from the water and "shock" in a bowl of iced water.
• Drain the green tips and puree in a blender. Set aside.
• Puree the soup in a blender and strain through a fine chinoise into a large serving bowl.
• Add the green tip puree and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve piping hot.

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.

CHEESY BROCCOLI PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta.
• Mix broccoli cheese soup with milk.
• Stir in 1 stick of melted butter and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese into soup mix.
• Gently mix the pasta with the soup mix.
• Spray baking dish with non stick spray.
• Pour pasta into baking dish.
• Top with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
• Mix bread crumbs with 1 stick of melted butter and place on pasta.
• Bake 450 for 20 minute or until hot.

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Cut off the broccoli stems, then cut the stems into 1-inch-thick slices. Separate the florets into small pieces. Reserve the stems and florets separately.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high and add the olive oil. Stir in the onion, carrot, tomato, sweet potato and the broccoli stems, spread in an even layer and season generously with salt and pepper. Let the vegetables on the bottom sear without stirring until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the garlic powder and stir with a wooden spoon to hydrate the spice in the fat and continue cooking for another minute or so. The tomato will start to break down and get jammy.
• Add the coconut water, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover, lower the heat to keep the soup at a gentle boil and continue cooking until all of the vegetables are mostly softened and the stock is imbued with savory flavor, about 10 minutes. For a creamier texture, remove the broccoli stems to snack on or discard; for more broccoli flavor (and roughage), leave the stems in.
• Stir in the broccoli florets and tofu, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover and cook until a paring knife easily cuts the stem part of a broccoli floret, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Carefully ladle the contents of the pot into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed, then add more coconut water or water to thin out the soup to your desired thickness.
• Serve hot in shallow bowls, each serving dolloped with a spoonful of fridge-cold ricotta, if using, and lightly drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with herbs, if desired.