Dorm Room Dish: Broccoli Soup

By: Jacob Triebwasser

Special to The Chronicle

Broccoli Soup Inspired by a Gordon Ramsey dish, this broccoli soup is delicious, cheap, easily made, and can be as vegetarian or vegan as you like. Ingredients: 1 head of broccoli Salt Pepper Olive oilOptional flavors: Vegetable or meat stock (not recommended; may overpower the broccoli) Shallot or garlic (sautée until soft and fragrant in pot before adding water) Cheese Tempeh Lemon juice Anchovy (sautéed until flavor becomes milder before adding water)

First, prepare your ingredients. Cut the florets from the broccoli stalk and toss out the stalk. Prepare any additional ingredients at this time as well. Bring two or more cups of salted water to a boil in a pot, and drop in your florets as it reaches a rolling boil. Cover and bring to boil until florets are tender. A good test for this is pressing one against the side of the pot with a knife. If the knife passes through with little to no resistance, the broccoli is done. Remove the florets from the pot and place into a blender. The cooking water has become a kind of broccoli stock at this point, and you should taste it for seasoning. Add salt and/or pepper, then pour the liquid into the blender until it comes a little over halfway up your florets. If the stock is too salty, this can be counteracted by adding lemon juice or any kind of vinegar. Briefly pulse the blender until the florets have been largely broken up, then puree for a good two minutes. The soup should become thick and creamy as long as you are doing this while everything is still very hot. If the ingredients are cold, the soup will only become grainy. Feel free to chill the soup after blending it, however, for a nice summer dish. Add more of your broccoli stock until the consistency is how you like it, and pour into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. An excellent addition to this soup is to place cheese in the bottom of the bowl before pouring the soup, so that it melts into the soup and adds depth to the flavor. The cheese may also be sprinkled on top and broiled until crispy, if your bowl can handle that kind of heat. I hope you enjoy this dish; it's one of my favorites for winter.