"Cream of" Broccoli Soup

What to do when you have a ton of extra broccoli lying around and you're about to go away for the weekend? Soup! In my constant battle with my waistline, I decided vegetables would be a good weapon, but as usual overbought and under-ate. Making a nice creamy, cheesy soup seems like a good way to get the broccoli eaten, but it kind of defeats the low-calorie purpose. So I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl. It's kind of a misnomer, as there is no cream, but as I say, this is what I was going for.

As you can see, there's not much prep to this soup, beyond chopping a lot of vegetables. The only way I know to make vegetable soup without chopping a lot of vegetables is to open a can and if that's what you want, you're on the wrong blog. After reading some of the comments (hint for newbies: ALWAYS DO THIS), I altered the recipe a little. I used 3 c of broth (instead of 2 c broth + 1 c water) for extra flavor. I also substituted chopped garlic and ginger root for the mustard seeds, about a 1 t of each, because it sounded interesting and because bite me, Gourmet, I don't have mustard seeds.

So, saute aromatics, then add the veg & liquid and

simmer "until the broccoli is very tender." This is a GREAT recipe for people who have a tendency to overshoot the mark and cook the life out of their vegetables (like me), because that's actually what you're going for. Soggy veg = easier pureeing = smoother textured soup.

The recipe says to puree the soup in a blender and transfer to another pot. Cue my very best Kevin-Spacey-as-Lex-Luthor impression: WRONG. Use a good stick blender right in the pot, if you have one. If not or if, like me, yours is a piece of crap, it should all fit in the work bowl of a decent-sized food processor. Then transfer right back to the same pot, unless you like washing extra dishes, in which case, I have a treat for you in my kitchen sink. The soup will still have some texture to it from the the carrot and broccoli chunks, but adding the sour cream smoothes it out nicely. You can see the difference in the clarity of the reflected light in the pictures above and below. Use a whisk to incorporate the sour cream to avoid it melting in one spot and sticking to the bottom of your pot.

I ended up freezing this until I returned from my

trip, but it defrosted just fine, in about 20 minutes on 50% power in the microwave. (Side note for non-microwave users: check this month's Bon Appetit for a great article, which is sadly not online, about the health benefits of microwave cooking that might just change your mind.) Using extra stock definitely paid off, adding an extra punch of flavor to what might have been a much blander soup. I can't say what using mustard seeds would have produced, but the garlic and ginger gave the dish a subtle, interesting flavor using ingredients I already had. This turned out to be a simple, easy, healthy dish. As it yields about 4 cups, I'd recommend it as a starter for 4, a side for a week of nice hot lunches for 1, or even a hearty main course, accompanied by some nice crusty bread, for dinner for 2. Enjoy!