Okay, here’s the soup recipe–it’s very quick, just the time it takes to chop the vegetables. Cream soups don’t freeze well (in my experience at least). If you want to store this, don’t add the milk, it will keep a bit longer, then, warm up the puree mixture, almost to boiling, then add the milk and heat through.
Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 medium-size yellow onions, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, slivered
1 bunch broccoli (a little over a pound), heads cut into florets, stalks trimmed, peeled, and thinly sliced
3 medium-size all-purpose potatoes (about a pound), peeled and cut into cubes
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional, but it really adds a nice flavor)
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups lowfat milk (1 or 2% works fine, you can use whole milk, or even cream, for a richer soup)
Salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and stir it around for aobut 30 seconds to a minute–don’t burn the garlic–you just want to start releasing the garlic flavor.
Add the broccoli, potatoes, nutmeg, and stock and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers gently, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the broccoli and potatoes are very tender.
In a food processor or blender, a little at a time, process the mixture until pureed. Return the puree to thesaucepan, stir in the milk, salt, and pepper, and set over moderate heat for 4 minutes or just until heated through on a medium heat.
I sometimes don’t puree all of the mixture, then I have chuncky cream of broccoli soup. Cauliflower also works well instead of broccoli, or use both. If I’m feeling fancy, I use leeks instead of onions. Pair this up with a grilled cheese sandwich and chocolate milk and life is good.