Roasted Broccoli Soup

Getting older is not for the faint of heart. I injured my jaw last week when I yawned and turned my head at the same time. The consequence of this is that my jaw is misaligned and needs some time to heal, which means I've been making soups, pudding, and smoothies. This Roasted Broccoli Soup is one is my absolute favorite simple soups. While Broccoli soup is usually best served with a tower of cheese on it because the broccoli in this soup is roasted it can go in a whole different direction. It's definitely delicious with a mountain of cheese on top but this soup is even more beautiful and sophisticated when topped with cilantro, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

Note About Trimming Broccoli: For this recipe you want to cut your broccoli florets and branching stems into pieces that are the size of 1-2 bites. The thick stems need the bottoms where they're dried out, and the sides trimmed off. Some people use a vegetable peeler to trim their broccoli stalks, I find that it's easier to do with a sharp knife. Once trimmed, the stalks can can be sliced into 1-2 inch pieces.

Note About Finishing this Soup: If you have some eaters who would rather cheese than lemon juice and cilantro, Parmesan or another hard cheese works well. Garnish each bowl with tablespoon or two of cheese.

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Roasted Broccoli Soup

Cook time 45 minutes (once oven is preheated). Serves 5-6 as a meal. Freezes well. Requires and emersion stick blender or regular blender.

Ingredients

2 medium heads of broccoli (about 1.5-2 pounds)

1 large sweet onion chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

4 tablespoons of olive oil (plus more to drizzle for serving)

1/2 pound yellow potatoes (cleaned and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)

4 cups commercial low sodium chicken stock (or 2 cups homemade stock plus 2 cups water)

red pepper flakes to taste

sea salt

black pepper

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

slices of lemon for serving

Chopped cilantro for serving

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Toss your broccoli with about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and then spread out in a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until broccili has browned around the edges. Check broccoli after about 15 minutes and if broccoli seems to be burning turn oven down to 400.

STEP TWO

While the broccili roasts chop your onion. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium or large sized soup pot and heat over medium low. Once the oil has warmed add your onion. Turn heat down to low and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. During which time you can finely chop your garlic and add it to the pot too. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon). allow onion and garlic to cook stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking to the bottom of your pot (about 10 minutes). While they cook, clean and chop your potato into roughly quarter inch pieces.

STEP THREE

After your onion and garlic have softened (about 15 minutes) add 4 cups commercial chicken stock (or 2 cups homemade stock and 2 cups water) to the pot with the onions then add chopped potatoes (skin can be left on) and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover pot and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until potatoes have softened. (At this point your broccoli should be about to come out of the oven).

STEP FOUR

Once broccoli is roasted, add it directly to the soup pot and bring soup back to a low boil. Allow broccoli to cook in the soup until it becomes soft (5-10 minutes), then turn off the heat and add the lemon zest.

STEP FIVE

Puree your roasted broccoli soup: If using an emersion blender (my preferred method), then you can puree it right in the pot. If you're using a blender, allow soup to cool for a few minutes and then carefully blend it a few ladles full at a time, and place the blended soup in a bowl until it's all blended. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Garnish with cilantro, lemon wedge, and olive oil. Serve right away. Extra soup can be frozen or stored for 3-4 days in a closed container in the fridge.