Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
900g broccoli (2lbs)
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups spinach
85g sharp cheddar (3oz)
42g parmigiano-reggiano (1.5oz)
buttered croutons (optional)
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1. Put 2 tbsp butter in a large cast iron pot and leave on stove top while you prep other ingredients (suggest: Le Creuset 6.75qt oval french oven).
2. Roughly chop 1 onion. Set aside.
3. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Set aside.
4. Separate broccoli crown from stalk. Square off stalk in order to remove fibrous skin, cut stalk in half and slice into 5mm pieces.
5. Cut into 5mm disks the part of broccoli between the stalk and florets. The florets should start to separate as you cut towards them.
6. Cut any large florets into 25mm size pieces. Set broccoli aside.
7. Combine 1 tsp dried mustard, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 pinch cayenne pepper. Set aside.
8. On the stove top, turn heat to medium and melt butter in cast iron pot. Heat until butter stops foaming.
9. Add onion, stir for a few seconds. Add garlic, stir for a few seconds. Add broccoli and spices (mustard, salt, cayenne) and stir for 6 minutes until all vegetables become fragrant.
10. Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 1 hour.
11. Grate both cheeses into a bowl and set aside. Make optional buttered croutons.
12. When vegetables are done cooking, turn heat back up to medium and add 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water.
13. When the soup gets hot enough to start bubbling again, stir 2 cups of loosely packed spinach into soup and cook until spinach is wilted and softened. Remove pot from heat.
14. Stir in sharp cheddar and parmigiano-reggiano.
17. Return to heat if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste.
18. Serve with buttered croutons and sprinkled with a little extra parmigiano-reggiano.
Notes:
Serves 6