Puréed Broccoli and Celery Soup
Published January 20, 2013
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
2 to 4 garlic cloves, to taste, minced
2 pounds broccoli, mostly crowns, chopped; stems, if using, peeled and diced
6 ounces potatoes, peeled and diced, or ½ cup medium grain rice
2 quarts water or vegetable stock
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a Parmesan rind, and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 ½ ounces spinach leaves or baby spinach (1 cup, tightly packed)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chives, for garnish
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
A drizzle of olive oil
a swirl of crème fraiche or plain yogurt
a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
22 grams carbs; 11 milligrams cholesterol; 178 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1372 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Do not allow these ingredients to brown. Add a generous pinch of salt to prevent this from happening (the salt draws out liquid from the vegetables). Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Step 2
Add the broccoli, potatoes or rice, water or stock, bouquet garni, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the spinach and let sit for a minute off the heat. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.
- Step 3
Using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular blender fill only half way and cover the top with a towel pulled down tight, rather than airtight with the lid, because hot soup will jump and push the top off if the blender is closed airtight. Return to the pot and heat through, stirring. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, topping each bowl with a sprinkle of chopped herbs and with other garnishes of your choice.
Advance preparation: This will keep for two or three days in the refrigerator but will require thinning out.
Private Notes
Comments
Like others, I revised this by using a can of cannelleni beans instead of potatoes and added the broccoli after 25 minutes of simmering the beans, bouquet garni, onions, celery and garlic. Turned out great.
Used leek rather than onions, since had lots to hand. As others have commented, the flavour seemed a little 'flat', but after the addition of the juice of half a lemon it was really excellent.
I made this with produce from my CSA and homemade vegetable stock. When the soup was initially finished I thought it tasted really flat and unremarkable, even after adjusting salt and pepper. At that point, I added about a tablespoon of sherry vinegar and refrigerated it until dinner time. Fortunately, upon reheating the flavor had improved greatly. I served it with a drizzle of thinned sour cream and chopped fresh herbs as noted in the recipe. So, a word to the wise, make this soup ahead!
I accidentally started making the other NYT broccoli soup. It calls for searing the broccoli, so I roasted it. It also calls for 2 T of butter and red pepper flakes. I also used homemade chicken stock because that is what I had. It was very tasty and reminded me or the Splendid Table's Green Soup.
A good soup, nice texture, easy to make. It benefited from a healthy squeeze of lemon, and the tangy yogurt accompaniment was welcome. Also some crunchy fried onions and/or jalapeños (Trader Joe’s) added a nice bite.
Skipped the bouquet garni and just dropped in parmesan rind, 2 sprigs rosemary, and a bay leaf. Added 1 can rinsed cannellini beans- (great suggestion to replace potatoes). Cooked in my Instapot using sauté mode for step 1, then manual high pressure for 3 minutes for step 2. Let cool a to decompress, but if hungry, just manually vent. Now, remember to fish out the rind, sprigs, and bay leaf and add in the spinach before blending! Add lemon and parmesan at end. Very delicious!