Last night I made some potato broccoli soup. That's what this picture is, even though I know you're thinking it looks like a bowl full of barf. (My picture taking skills totally suck. I still have no idea how to use my fancy-pants camera and wish I just had a small, simple one.) It was about 5 pm and we didn't really have anything in the house to make for dinner. I definitely didn't feel like going shopping, so I started digging through the fridge to see what I could make. Soup is always really comforting on cold nights, isn't it?
This recipe is super easy, even if you're not a cooking kind of person. And the total cook time is about 30 minutes. You'll need:
- about 6 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
- one bag of broccoli florets, or about 2 heads of broccoli
- a box of chicken or vegetable stock
- pepper and kosher salt
- half and half
First, boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until they're soft. Since they're quartered, it doesn't take that long. After that, dump some water out. This isn't an exact science, just enough to cover the potatoes. Next, add the broccoli and the box of chicken or vegetable stock. If you're making this a gluten-free meal, always make sure that the stock you buy is gluten-free! Why would stock need to have gluten in it? It doesn't. It's completely stupid. But I've learned that even things that shouldn't have gluten often do, so checking is extremely important.
Boil the potato, broccoli and stock mixture until the broccoli starts to soften. Once the broccoli turns a nice dark green is usually when I stop. Add salt and pepper to taste. When everything is done boiling, I add in about 1/4 cup of half and half. If you're trying tot cut calories or are vegan or dairy sensitive, leave this out. It's not necessary, but just makes the soup really creamy.
Finally, ladle small batches of soup into a blender and blend until creamy. Put everything back into the pot and stir well. Add a dollop of creme fraiche to the bowl for added flavor/muffin top enhancement.
This picture has nothing to do with soup, but I just thought I'd add it. Since this is my first real winter, (being a Florida and Southern California girl) this is the first time I've ever really seen leaves change color and fall off the trees. Seriously. So, this is also the first time that I've gotten to see all the bird nests that spring left behind. This little nest is in the tree right in front of our house. All over our neighborhood, I see these and wonder if they'll be used again eventually, or if birds will insist upon building new homes. I suppose I'll have to wait until spring to know for sure. 
9 comments:
that soup seems yummy. mmmmm.
i love your "muffin top enhancement" comment. hilarious. tonight i had chex mix and a brownie for dinner. that is "enhancement" i would think.
and yes, i think some of the birds return to their nests, but i'll have to consult zach's nerd bird book.
peace out, big al...
In my single days I lived off Broccoli and cheese soup from Cambell's in the winter. Noe THAT was barf.
Your soup looks like creamed Broccoli.
mmm looks good! and i so appreciate that you didn't add cheese. while i love cheese it always seems like in creamy soups the cheese overtakes the potato and/or broccoli. you've inspired me to take a crack at soup making (which would be really yummy in our 15 degree weather!).
Yeah, I think cheese overwhelms soups too. And it also makes each serving your daily fat intake, which is gross.
hey, thank you for following my blog! makes me beam. in a good way :)
that soup looks delicious! maybe it's me, but i think green soup doesn't look like barf. and your picture taking skills are quite formidable, i say. as proven by two photos you shared in this entry. my camera has a BS button [means best shot, supposedly ;)] and there one can select a FOOD feature, taking closeup photos. same with the flower feature, i haven't found the difference there. anyway, i'm not a great fan of manuals, either, and hope you will figure it out in time. i bet just taking and sharing photos on your blog will make you an expert.
yes, the bare trees! there are not many here, that's true. and in the CA central valley it has a balmy 70 degrees these days. aah, spring.
Alli G makes the best sans-gluten cookies ever, and adds coffee. Does life get any better?
If I liked broccoli, I'd probably dig this. I like that you kept the satan's vegetable a healthy green color instead of the olive-poo green, which further proves that this soup is most likely tasty. It does make me wanna make a no-cream mushroom soup...
I also agree on the cheese comment. The only cheese in a soup I wanna see is brie. Cheddar is such a cop-out to foods.
duuuuude! your soup changed my life! i'd never before tried to make soup and i loved the picture and the recipe seemed easy enough so i gave it a try. voila! it was very yummy and now i'm thinking about all sorts of things to add and getting very excited about trying squash soup next. and i even stumbled upon this site while trying to find tips for freezing it. http://www.graciousbowl.com/
thanks for being a kitchen-inspiration!
Emily- You don't like broccoli? This surprises me, because you're the girl who knows of all the weird ingredients to use when cooking....and you even like curry! I don't know why, I just imagined you liking everything. I think green peppers are gross. They get in and ruin the taste of everything they touch.
Valerie- I'm glad you tried the recipe! You can very easily make a butternut squash soup with the same method, just bake the squash in the oven with olive oil first.
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