Cream of Broccoli Soup
Cream of Broccoli Soup
This is definitely not your mother’s version of the soup. There is much less emphasis on cream, and the added complexity of a bit of bacon, and some heat. The creaminess largely comes from the potato cooked with the broccoli.
1 large broccoli crown, with the stem attached
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
1 small yellow onion, cut into medium dice
1 stalk celery, cut into medium dice
2 strips bacon
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
2 dashes of hot sauce, about 1/2 teaspoon, preferably a smoky chipotle variety
1, 4 oz can diced green chiles, the mild version
1/4 cup cream or half and half
fresh parsley for garnish
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the bacon in a dutch oven or soup pot and brown until crispy. Remove from the pot and drain on paper towels. Drain all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pot.
Over medium heat add the onion and the celery to the pot. Saute for about 5 minutes to soften.
Meanwhile cut the flowerets from the broccoli making sure to divide the larger flowerets into smaller pieces. Remove the hard outer layer of the broccoli stem. This should leave you with a moist interior. Cut the broccoli stem into a medium dice.
To the pot add the potato, the broccoli, the chicken stock, the water, the hot sauce and the green chiles. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat. The mixture will need to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and the broccoli stems are starting to soften.
Using a blender puree the soup mixture. I recommend the blender as some of the broccoli stems will cook at a slower rate and may not become fully pureed in a food processor or by using an immersion blender. Return the soup to the pot.
Crumble the bacon and add about three-quarters of the crumbles to the pot. Add the cream to the mixture, stir to combine, and heat on low for about 5 minutes to bring the soup back up to temperature. The soup should not simmer again!
Serve the soup in bowls topped with some of the crumbled bacon and a few leaves of the parsley. Depending on if this is a soup course or the main event, it will serve from four to six people.