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Green Veg and Blue Cheese Soup
Nov. 21st, 2020 12:57 pmThis was supposed to be a traditional broccoli and stilton, but the first time I made it I had far less broccoli than most online recipes seem to call for, and a bunch of other green veg to use up. So - here is the version that seems to work best, despite sounding like something out of a Dr Seuss poem. (It's a great dish for not needing a ton of prep; you can add an ingredient to the pan, then wash and chop the next thing while the first thing cooks.)
Green Veg and Blue Cheese Soup (makes 4 main course portions)
Gently heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan or cast iron pot. Chop 4 cloves of garlic, then add to the pot to cook (carefully, on a very low heat, without colouring - they should basically just be infusing the oil). Add a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves, one finely minced celery stick, six roughly chopped spring onions, and plenty of black pepper, then cook gently for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
Add 1 litre of hot vegetable stock to the pan and bring to the boil. While it heats, chop up one head of broccoli (stalks and all). When the stock is at the boil, add the broccoli and cover. Cook for 10 mins. Chop/crumble 200g of sharp, strong blue cheese while you wait. (I love traditional stilton here, but most blue cheeses will work, although something very creamy like a dolcelatte will make the end product extremely rich, and an orange blue like Blacksticks will affect the colour!)
Add a couple of fistfuls of chopped kale leaves, cover again, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Wilt in 2-3 handfuls of washed spinach, then remove from the heat and blitz with a blender until smooth. (A stick blender will do the job fine, IMO, but my husband is fussy and whines about lumps, so we use a counter top.)
Put the soup back on a very gentle heat. Pour in 250 ml double cream and add the blue cheese. Stir until melted through, and the soup is silky.
Ladle into warmed bowls, and serve.
(Optional extra - finish each bowl with a small pinch of red chilli flakes and/or a few drops of chilli oil. Not for everyone, and you won't lose anything by not having the heat, but I love pairing spice with blue cheese, and it just helps to cut through all that heavy creaminess if that's something you enjoy.)
Green Veg and Blue Cheese Soup (makes 4 main course portions)
Gently heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan or cast iron pot. Chop 4 cloves of garlic, then add to the pot to cook (carefully, on a very low heat, without colouring - they should basically just be infusing the oil). Add a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves, one finely minced celery stick, six roughly chopped spring onions, and plenty of black pepper, then cook gently for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
Add 1 litre of hot vegetable stock to the pan and bring to the boil. While it heats, chop up one head of broccoli (stalks and all). When the stock is at the boil, add the broccoli and cover. Cook for 10 mins. Chop/crumble 200g of sharp, strong blue cheese while you wait. (I love traditional stilton here, but most blue cheeses will work, although something very creamy like a dolcelatte will make the end product extremely rich, and an orange blue like Blacksticks will affect the colour!)
Add a couple of fistfuls of chopped kale leaves, cover again, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Wilt in 2-3 handfuls of washed spinach, then remove from the heat and blitz with a blender until smooth. (A stick blender will do the job fine, IMO, but my husband is fussy and whines about lumps, so we use a counter top.)
Put the soup back on a very gentle heat. Pour in 250 ml double cream and add the blue cheese. Stir until melted through, and the soup is silky.
Ladle into warmed bowls, and serve.
(Optional extra - finish each bowl with a small pinch of red chilli flakes and/or a few drops of chilli oil. Not for everyone, and you won't lose anything by not having the heat, but I love pairing spice with blue cheese, and it just helps to cut through all that heavy creaminess if that's something you enjoy.)
