Broccoli & Gorgonzola Soup

I have to be honest, there are just some veggies I don't dig so much.  They all seem to fall into the same family of cruciferous vegetables: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli.  I think it may be one of those childhood things - my Irish grandma was a wonderful baker, but when it came to cooking, her one big move was boiling.  She boiled veggies to the point where I wasn't even sure what I was eating.

So it wasn't until recently that I decided to find ways to prepare those veggies in a way that I would enjoy.  Roasting is a great way to do this.  Roasted Brussels sprouts with a little olive oil, salt & pepper is now a fave of mine.  Toss a little pancetta on top and it's hard to resist.  Roasted cauliflower with oil and curry powder takes it to a whole new level.  And then there's this broccoli soup....

I love it because you need very few ingredients - broccoli, onion, potato, garlic, broth and cheese (and many of them you probably already have at home). And they produce such great flavor that when we made it in one of my cooking classes last week, everybody went back for seconds!

Like most of my soups, I start with sautéing onions in olive oil and then add a little garlic once the onions are soft.  With this soup, I also added a chopped Yukon gold potato - this helps make the soup nice and creamy.  The potato helps me avoid adding cream since I'm going to add a big hit of Gorgonzola at the end, but if you're feeling decadent, you can add some cream instead.

Next, I add the broccoli florets - the smaller you cut them, the faster your soup will be ready to puree.  Cover the broccoli with chicken or vegetable broth - if you want to keep it vegetarian, use vegetable broth, but I find that chicken broth give the soup the little bit of fat that makes the flavor pop.

After it simmers for about 15-20 minutes, puree it in a blender. Remember that when you're pureeing something hot, you want to take the little insert out of the top and loosely cover with a clean towel, so the top doesn't explode and you end up with more soup on your ceiling than in your bowl!   Here's my new favorite tip, when you think your soup is smooth enough, keep going; give it another minute.  This is what gives it a velvety smooth texture.  Then return the soup to the pot and stir in your Gorgonzola (or Stilton or blue, whatever you like).  Taste it before seasoning - the cheese adds salt, so you may find that you don't need much more salt.  I usually end up adding a good healthy pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon).  We made wild mushroom crostini to go along with it, but even a warm sourdough for dunking works.  I think you might go back for seconds, too.....

Broccoli & Gorgonzola Soup  

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 ½ lbs broccoli, cut into florets

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

4 ounces Gorgonzola

Salt & pepper to taste

·         Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and potato, and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened.

·         Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

·         Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes.

·         Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

·         Transfer soup in batches to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

·         Return to pot and stir in cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leave me a comment and tell me....what is your favorite winter soup????

Cook Happy!