Creamy Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp EVOO
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, zested or minced
1 tsp thyme, ground
salt & freshly ground black pepper - I had to add a wee bit more salt upon tasting the soup, broccoli cries out for a little salt
Tabasco, a few dashes
1 bag pre-packaged broccoli flowerettes - appx. 3 C
1 quart (4 C) chicken stock - I love to make from "Better than Bouillon"
1/2 C cream - I would have used milk, but was out & had coffee cream in house, so used it in a pinch
8 small handfuls cubed stale bread (I always have frozen in ziplocs in the freezer - I used to throw out a lot of odds & sods of bread, but no longer…no one cares much for store-bought croutons around here anymore!)
1/2 C grated Tex-mex cheese
sprinkle of parsley
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
Method:
Heat EVOO in large soup pot over med high heat. Add bacon & cook until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon & drain, for a min, on some paper towel. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper & hot sauce. Cook, stirring often for 4-5 mins until onions are getting tender. Add the broccoli & continue to cook til broccoli is tender. (I had a bottle of white wine - that wasn't my favourite - sitting lonely in the fridge that I poured in about 1/2 C of. This moisture helped the broccoli along. I would add a little stock, at this time, if I didn't have any wine open) Once the broccoli is tender, working in 2 batches, add it to a blender with appx 1/2 C of stock & puree. Be very careful blending hot soup. Have a kitchen towel at the ready & hold it over top of your blender lid to catch any steamy escapees! Do not overfill the blender whatever you do!! *Unless, you are lucky enough to have a Vitamix - then fill 'er up & have at it!!* Add the pureed soup back to the pot & stir in remaining stock & cream. Bring up to a simmer & cook for 8 - 10 mins.
Meanwhile, preheat the broiler in your oven. Place your bread cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, sprinkle over the cheese, bacon crumbles & parsley. Once your soup is nearing the 8 min mark, slide the bread cubes into the oven to become ooey-gooey, crunchy good. Keep a close eye - this only takes a min or two!!
Right before serving, add the lemon zest & juice to soup & stir to combine.
Transfer the soup to serving bowls & top with a generous portion of the toasted cheesy bread cubes…aaaannnnd, dig in…so yum!!
*I think, next time, if I had a bit of the evil process cheese (whiz) around, I might put a spoonful in - just saying'*