Recipe # 10: Creamy Broccoli Soup

A classic re-envisioned.  The vegetables speak for themselves in this soup, with the marjoram and thyme playing supporting roles to the sweet red onion and robust garlic.  The silken tofu not only adds creaminess, but also a complete protein.  I’m sure you like your broccoli soup a certain way, but I love it just plain with a little cracked fresh pepper on top!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp sunflower oil
2 medium onions
5 cloves garlic
1 lb. baby carrots
1 celery heart
3 Stalks broccoli, trimmed
1 large red onion
2 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried thyme
1 package silken tofu
6 cups water
Salt & pepper

Vegetable prep:

• Dice the onion and smash-chop* the garlic
• For the carrots, slice them in half length-wise, dice them into ½ inch pieces and set aside.   Depending on the size of your carrots, you'll get 2-4 cuts per half.  Try slicing 3-4 baby carrots in half, and then dice them.  This should make the process go faster.
• Trim the celery hearts of the (dried) top and (dirty) bottom and rinse the stalks to ensure you remove all the dirt.  Slice the stalks, lengthwise, into halves or thirds (depending on the width)  and dice into ½ inch pieces.  Like the carrots, you can dice a few stalks at the same time, which should help ease chopping fatigue.
• Cut off the florets, leaving as much stalk as possible.  Trim the body of the stalks of dried/exposed  parts and any part that seems too green, as these will create issues later on in the process.  Slice the stalks in half length-wise, and then again to create 4 strips per stalk.  Coarsely dice the stalks and set them aside.
• Coarsely dice the red onion and add to the broccoli cuts.

Stovetop:

Heat the oil in a large stock pot (whatever you boil pasta in), over medium-high heat, and add the onions and garlic.  Stir occasionally to keep the garlic from browning too quickly.  You want the onions to begin to brown before proceeding (you may notice the bottom of the pan becoming "sticky" from the onions starting to caramelize), about 7-9 minutes.  Add the carrots and keep stirring (the introduction of a water-heavy vegetable will help stop the cooking for a while and get the browned bits up from the pan).  When the carrots begin to brown, after 6-9 minutes, add the celery and keep stirring.  When the celery has reduced by half (you'll notice a difference in the pot, as the vegetables cook and water evaporates), after 9-12 minutes, add the broccoli and red onions.   Cook for an additional 4 minutes and add the spices and herbs, cooking for an another 2 minutes to help release the oils in the herbs.  Place the tofu directly in the pot, incorporate it with your wooden spoon, and add 1 tsp sea salt.  After cooking for 3 minutes add the water and some fresh ground pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer.  Your soup will need to reduce, encouraging the flavors to intensify and set, for around 45 minutes.  Once it has finished reducing, remove it from the heat source and set aside.

Purée:

Using an immersion blender, purée the soup into a creamy and smooth consistency.  This may take upwards of 4 minutes, depending on the power of your immersion blender and the vegetables.  If you do not have an immersion blender, you may use a blender or food processor - but you will need to work in batches to avoid a mess.  When the soup is at your desired creaminess, add 1-2 tsp sea salt and some fresh ground pepper to taste and stir thoroughly to even out the soup.