I was feeling mildly sick yesterday, and that combined with the rainy weather made me feel like having soup for dinner. I wasn't sure what type of soup I wanted so I turned to my cookbooks for inspiration. I came across this recipe in Soup For Every Body, a cute little cookbook that I had picked up at a yard sale a year or two ago but had never actually cooked from. Joanne's recent post on cashew-tomato soup got me interested in soups using nuts, and this broccoli-almond soup seemed like the perfect way to use the broccoli I had bought at the market that morning. You may remember that I tend to think of broccoli as a boring vegetable, so I'm always happy to find interesting new ways to use it. This soup was very good - the toasted almonds thickened the soup and gave it a nice nutty flavor, and ground coriander added a warm spiced note that I really enjoyed. It made a perfect healthy but filling meal - give it a try if you're looking for a lighter alternative to cream-of-broccoli or broccoli-cheddar soup.
Broccoli-almond soup
Adapted from Soup For Every Body
Serves 4
I tried to blend the soup in my food processor, but I couldn't get it completely smooth, so I ended up using the immersion blender, which worked perfectly. You could try using an immersion blender from the beginning, or maybe your food processor or regular blender will work better than mine.
1 pound broccoli, chopped into small pieces
4 tbs butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) blanched almonds, toasted until lightly browned
3 cups chicken stock, plus an additional 1/2 cup for thinning final soup if necessary
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt and white pepper
Optional garnishes for serving: croutons, sour cream, creme fraiche
Steam the broccoli until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until onion is soft and golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Combine the broccoli, onion, toasted almonds, and 3 cups of stock in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth (see headnote - I had to use an immersion blender to get it totally smooth).
Return pureed soup to the saucepan used for cooking the onion. Mix in the coriander and salt and pepper to taste, and add more stock to thin out the consistency if necessary. Heat soup until hot, and serve with croutons, or a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.
Soup can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge, but will need to be thinned with some water or chicken stock before reheating.
What is your favorite fall soup?
Broccoli-almond soup
Adapted from Soup For Every Body
Serves 4
I tried to blend the soup in my food processor, but I couldn't get it completely smooth, so I ended up using the immersion blender, which worked perfectly. You could try using an immersion blender from the beginning, or maybe your food processor or regular blender will work better than mine.
1 pound broccoli, chopped into small pieces
4 tbs butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) blanched almonds, toasted until lightly browned
3 cups chicken stock, plus an additional 1/2 cup for thinning final soup if necessary
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt and white pepper
Optional garnishes for serving: croutons, sour cream, creme fraiche
Steam the broccoli until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until onion is soft and golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Combine the broccoli, onion, toasted almonds, and 3 cups of stock in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth (see headnote - I had to use an immersion blender to get it totally smooth).
Return pureed soup to the saucepan used for cooking the onion. Mix in the coriander and salt and pepper to taste, and add more stock to thin out the consistency if necessary. Heat soup until hot, and serve with croutons, or a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.
Soup can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge, but will need to be thinned with some water or chicken stock before reheating.
Almonds sound like such an interesting addition. I love butternut squash soup and lentil soup in the fall!
ReplyDeleteAww thanks for the shout out! I will definitely be trying this soup since I'm hooked on using nuts in my soup now...and I LOVE broccoli!
ReplyDelete