I do like broccoli soups, and so does my family. And that’s why I keep making them! See the broccoli soup I made two years ago, as well as a broccoli chowder. This time, I made the “Broccoli & Parmesan Soup,” from thestonesoup.com, and once again enjoyed the success of my young child’s enthusiasm.
I doubled the portions of this soup, to get four servings. Without regrets, I used two bags of the frozen organic broccoli from Cascadian Farm. I’m a collector of parmesan rinds (I diligently keep a bag of them in my fridge), so I tossed two rinds into this soup. The rinds provided a welcomed, mysterious artichoke flavor, which worked well combined with the lemon juice. I added 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. I gladly used my immersion blender to achieve my creamy soup. Try it.
And how are you with collard greens? I can’t ignore the big beautiful leaves that I’ve been seeing at my Food Coop. They’re like grand fans, waving to me. The recipe for “Collard Greens Miniera,” from the January 2001 issue of Gourmet, cooks the collards quickly — one minute — which is a change of pace for greens that are typically simmered long and slow. This results in real collards, up front and unapologetic. They’re fine, they’re green, and they feel good. Once more, I used the uncured smoked duck bacon that I can’t get enough of. I added 1 tsp. kosher salt. Do you like green? If so, then eat this green.
PRICES
Frozen Broccoli (2 bags) = $4.16
Collard Greens (1 bunch) = $1.97
RECIPES: it’s too easy to make your own soup and to enjoy the greenness of collards
PREP TIMES: soup in 10 minutes and greens in less time; this is a quick meal!
TASTES: broccoli + lemon + umami hints from the parmesan rinds; collards, collards, collards
Next time, I’ll return to the vegetarian path, where I’ll cook the “Tempeh, Kale, and Sweet Potato Skillet,” from Nava Atlas’ vegkitchen.com. I’ll also make “Baked Onion Rings,” from fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com. See my food when you come back to my site on Monday, March 14.
