Broccoli Soup, and Healthy to Boot

This one is simple. “A piece of cake” will now be referred to as “A pot of broccoli soup”.

Inactive prep time: as long as your water takes to boil
Other prep time: 5-15 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes

serves: generally, 2-4 medium servings per pound of broccoli

Needed are 3 ingredients, bare minimum. They are:

• Broccoli florets, trimmed with just enough stalk to keep the bunches together. Flip the broc on its head and simply cut off the branches. Wear flannel if you’re feeling extra outdoorsy. Get fresh broccoli when available, though frozen will suffice when not in season.
• Water
• Salt

You’ll also need:

• A pot, large enough that your broc doesn’t go past 1/3 or so of the way up. Dump it in if you need to check, but take it out again and keep in a bag or bowl.
• A colander large enough for each batch of your broccoli
• Another pot, bowl, or vessel large enough to contain the colander and the water from each batch of broccoli
• A puréeing apparatus, such as a blender, food processor, immersion blender (hand blender), or good ol’ fashioned masher and muscle. I must warn you: if you use the last method, you won’t have to take steroids to join the major leagues. That’s the last sports reference on this blog. I promise.

Notice, no quantities. That’s because cooking (and its more demanding cousin, baking) is more about proportions than quantity. There is no reason to limit a recipe this simple – but sometimes . So, here’s a rough-and-tumble version of what’s going on, followed by a far more detailed version.

Simply:

1. Season water with salt and bring to a boil
2. Toss in broccoli, lightly salt again, and cook 4 or so minutes
3. Drain broccoli in a colander, saving the broth in a bowl
4. Add broccoli to your puréeing device. Fill half with the broccoli water
5. Purée till super smooth, and to desired thickness
6. For some richness, serve with a pad of butter, a splash of crème fraîche or smetana, a dollop of sour cream, goat cheese, or splash of heavy cream. Or don’t add anything at all – it’s beautiful and clean with no fat added. My favorite way is served cold with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. So good.

The Devil is in the details. May I present you with Mister Morningstar himself:

Fill the pot about 3/4 to the top with water. Too much broccoli in not enough water will take longer to cook through, so leave enough room for your broccoli. If you need to cook in several smaller batches, so be it, or use 2 pots of water.

So, this:

not this:

Liberally season the water with salt, cover, and set on high to boil. Liberally. Don’t be a baby. Give ‘er about 2…3…4…tablespoons? Honestly, I just use my cupped hand. Unless you’re baking you don’t need exact quantities. That being said, its best to add less – you can taste and adjust later. Don’t forget, if you are in fact using more than one pot, season each batch of water. If you do multiple batches, I’d suggest using saving the stock and filling the pot with fresh water for each batch. We’ll be using the stock later. It’ll take longer, but you can finish the first half of the soup while the water boils.

Otherwise, if you chose to use the same water, it will be twice as flavorful – which isn’t entirely necessary. This also means it will already have salt, so if any, don’t over-salt the second batch
Once boiling, add the broccoli, add a little salt on top, cover, and cook 4 or so minutes. If it’s frozen, give it a tad extra time, but not much. Use a dull knife, like a butter knife, to check if its done. Simply pinch the broccoli between the knife and the side of the pot. If the knife goes through with ease, you’re done – otherwise, give it a bit more time. Put a colander in an another pot, or a large enough bowl. Once cooked, drain the broccoli into the colander, saving the water in the containing vessel. We’ll use this momentarily.

Quickly fill your puréeing device with cooked broccoli, then fill halfway with the saved broccoli water (which is full of great flavor – who needs chicken stock?!). The heat of the broccoli and water allow for a smoother finish to the soup, so work quickly (but clean and safe). If you’re doing another batch, get the water in the pot and start boiling that sucker. Meanwhile, purée your little green friends till you no longer can tell them by name. You did name them, didn’t you? It should be smooth, deep green, and beautiful. Seriously. You should want to marry it. Now have a taste and season accordingly – you’ll probably need a little salt.

Now just finish up the rest of your batches and serve! Hot or cold, this soup is so delicious and fresh. It’s simple but classy and easily made more elegant. Add an aforementioned accoutrement et voilà! Without the additions, this dish is vegan; with, vegetarian. Yet another reason not to use chicken stock, which only confuses the broccoli flavor.

Nota Bene:

You’ll have left over water. I pour this into ice cube trays and freeze. About 5-6 cubes make one fluid cup. You can check your own trays simply by measuring out some water and seeing how much of your tray gets filled. Once frozen, I empty and clean the trays and store the cubes in a dated ziplock freezer bag. I also do this for chicken and vegetable stocks too, but any will do really. This way if you want to make a quick pot of rice with a bit more flavor, you can add a few cubes rather than water, or mix various stocks together without having to thaw several large containers. Properly stored, it should keep several months at least, but avoid storing where it will pick up other flavors.