½ cup light cream, milk, or reserved cooking water from the broccoli
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard, or to taste
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Rye or whole wheat bread, toasted
Instructions
Separate the crowns from the broccoli stems, then separate the crowns into florets. You should have at least 4 cups or a little extra. Peel the broccoli stems, quarter them, and chop them into small pieces, yielding a cup or so. Bring a quart of water to a boil and add 1 scant teaspoon salt and the broccoli florets. Cook for about 3 minutes, then scoop out the florets, reserving the water. Rinse broccoli under cool water and set aside.
Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the onion, celery, potato, broccoli stems, garlic, cayenne, and herbs. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Add ½ teaspoon salt, stir in the flour, then pour in 3 cups of the reserved water from the broccoli, saving any remainder. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until the potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the cream or additional broccoli water if needed to thin the soup. During the last few minutes, add the florets and allow them to heat through.
Remove the bay leaf and carefully puree the soup using either an immersion blender or a regular blender. Once pureed, return the soup to the pot. Stir in the mustard then taste for salt and season with pepper. Just before serving, stir in the cheese, but don’t let the soup boil or the cheese will toughen. Serve hot with the toast on the side or broken into the soup.
Notes
Three Variations:
Make this using cauliflower or substitute Broccoli Romanesco – the flavor will be about the same, but the color will be more lively.
Try another kind of cheese. Gruyere and aged sharp Gouda are other possibilities.
Add a teaspoon of curry powder as a seasoning.
Source: Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
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