Savory 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 CHEESE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper.
• Stir to combine, then cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are just starting to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice off and discard the rough bottom ends of broccoli stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the tough outer skin on the stalks, then discard those bits. Slice the stalks off and cut them into pieces about 1 to 2-inches big. Set aside.
• Working with the broccoli tops now, cut as closely to the base of the florets as you can. Slice any remaining stalks into chunks to match to the rest. Reserve the broccoli florets-we'll use them in a bit.
• Add the chunks of broccoli stalk and potato to the pot and stir. Pour in 6 cups water and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
• Simmer until the broccoli stalks and potatoes are tender throughout and easily split apart when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the reserved florets into small pieces (I chop them all in one direction, then turn the cutting board and chop again).
• Once the potato and stalks are tender, add half of the florets to pot, stir, cover, and cook until they're bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Working in a couple of batches (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line or it could explode!), carefully transfer several cups of the mixture-both the liquid and solids-to your stand blender. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer the mixture to a heat-proof vessel temporarily as you blend the rest. Alternatively, use an immersion blender (it just won't be as lusciously creamy). Return the purée to the pot.
• Return the pot to medium heat and add the remaining florets. Cover the pot and cook until they're bright green and easily pierced through by a fork, another 4 to 7 minutes. Add almost all 4 ounces of the grated cheddar cheese (reserve a small handful for garnish) and stir until smooth. Carefully taste (it's hot) and stir in more cheese if you'd like more indulgent flavor/creamy texture, more salt for more overall flavor, and/or more black pepper for kick.
• Divide the soup into bowls and top with a sprinkle of cheese, plus some thinly sliced chives and/or red pepper flakes, if desired. Leftover soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (though the color darkens a bit with time). I haven't tried freezing this soup but suspect it will work fine-please let us know in the comments if you do.

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Bring broth to a boil. Add broccoli and onion. Cook for five minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
• In a separate bowl, slowly add milk to flour, and mix until well blended.
• Stir flour mixture into broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until soup is thick and bubbly. Add cheese if desired; stir until melted. Add seasonings and serve.

SAVORY BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Reduce heat and simmer 15- 20 minutes, until veggies are tender.
• Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Puree in blender until very smooth.

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.

NO-CREAM CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

Steps:

• Cook and stir carrots, celery and onions in hot oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat 5 min. Add broth and pepper; stir. Bring to boil.
• Stir in broccoli and rice; simmer on medium-low heat 15 to 20 min. or until vegetables and rice are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add soup, in batches, to blender or food processor; blend until puréed. Return each batch to saucepan. Add milk and cheese; cook 3 to 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.