Cream of Broccoli Soup

I actually made this soup before the springtime. I wanted something comforting that I could maybe sneak some nutrition into. I saw Gordon Ramsay make a cream of broccoli soup, but his was too simple- it was just broccoli and water. I wanted something a bit creamier and with more depth.

I checked the joy of cooking and found a simple but tasty looking recipe. I started by breaking down two large heads of broccoli including the stems. The stems actually have a lot of vitamins, so I was happy to be able to include them. The recipe called for a couple of celery stalks as well, but I had carrots in my refrigerator that I wanted to use so a threw those in, and half an onion. It's alright if the vegetables are coarsely chopped, because its all going into the food processor later. I started by sauteing the vegetables in a very large pot:


You want to cook them for a few minutes until they start to get tender, then add the flour and stock or broth making sure that the flour is well incorporated and bring it to a boil. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, cover, and reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes.


When the vegetables have softened transfer everything into a food processor. You can do this in batches if you need to. You want to pulse the mixture until you get a really smooth consistency, then return it to the pot and add anywhere from half a cup to a full cup of cream. You want the cream to heat through, but don't let the soup return to a boil and its done.

The recipe also suggests you top your soup with some grated cheddar, but I chose to go with some really finely grated parmigiano reggiano. To complete my meal, I added some slices of rosemary chicken, and some whole grain crackers:


The soup came out really well. What I like about this recipe is the proportions of vegetables to the liquid. In the end, you want the soup to taste like broccoli, but the addition of the other vegetables give it a good amount of depth. The carrots in particular gave it a really pleasant sweetness. Some recipes have you cook the vegetables in water, and use the cooking liquid as you are pureeing the broccoli. I used chicken stock, which is richer, and the little bit of cream smoothed it out. It was hearty and satisfying.

Here's the full recipe, courtesy of the joy of cooking
-Two large heads of broccoli
-Two stalks of celery (I used two carrots)
-1 cup coarsely chopped onion
-1/2 cup- 1 cup cream, or whole milk
-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
-1/4 cup all purpose flour
-salt and pepper
-grated cheddar to garnish (though you can use parmegian, or gruyere)

My kosher tart

I have a subscription to gourmet magazine. When the latest issue arrived, the cover was adorned with a delectable looking strawberry tart. I had been longing for an excuse to make this dessert while I was discussing the menu for passover dinner but the crust was made from a flour dough. I realized that with a few changes, I could make it kosher.

After a fruitless search for matzo flour (one of my only alternatives seemed to be a dusty looking matzo cake mix that my supermarket probably pulled from the storeroom where it had been living for years) I discovered a recipe for a matzo cracker crust- sort of a spin on the graham cracker crust with matzo crumbles, butter, and brown sugar.

I pulsed 9 matzos in the food processor (which for future reference, was too much) until they were pulverized, then added a stick of melted butter, and some brown sugar. I turned it out into a corning ware dish, and slowly worked it out with the back of a spatula until it was even. The recipe said that it should be baked in the oven for 10 minutes, though I gave it a little longer so it would set properly.


The filling of the cake was a pound of mascarpone cheese, whisked with some confectioners sugar, a tablespoon of lemon juice, some fresh zest, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I love mascarpone cheese, it's creamy and a bit tangier than cream cheese. The lemon and sugar balances it out perfectly.The cheese mixture is topped with a pound of fresh strawberries that have been tossed with a little bit of sugar, though if you find really lovely berries, you could use them as is. You then drizzle a port wine syrup on top of the berries. You can make it right before you serve the tart, simply reduce 3/4 cup of port with some lemon juice until you have 1/4 cup of liquid. Use as little or as much of the reduction as you'd like.

Here are the ingredients before I assembled the tart.


And After.


Although the crust did not set the way I would have liked it too, it was still the perfect dessert for a holiday that really is a celebration of spring. The crust was a bit crumbly, but it tasted good. My theory that if you add enough butter and sugar to anything panned out as well, since you couldn't tell that the crust was made from matzo.

You can see the original recipe in gourmet magazine HERE.