Broccoli Soup with Chicken Broth — Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe
Broccoli soup is a delicious seasonal soup that can be made with or without meat. Broccoli, strange as it may seem, is a cabbage after all — a close relative of the familiar cauliflower. As a kid, I wouldn't touch broccoli or cauliflower: they reminded me of brains. Now I actually enjoy them. Besides, broccoli is easy to find, if seasonal. And it's cheap.
Bright green broccoli florets always look great in any dish. What's more, broccoli is sold fresh-frozen in handy packs. Broccoli is a vegetable where everything is edible, even the thick stalks that look unappetizing at first glance.
Broccoli comes from the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. The Romans were already growing it, although in France, for instance, it was Catherine de' Medici who made broccoli fashionable. But broccoli became a common garden vegetable only a little over 100 years ago.
The word “broccoli” most likely comes from the Latin bracchium, meaning “arm” or “branch”. A broccoli head looks like a small green tree, a bit like a Japanese bonsai. Low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals, broccoli is a great choice for a diet. And because broccoli helps bind harmful substances in the body, it is also used in therapeutic diets.
Broccoli is excellent in pasta. Pasta with broccoli is a very popular dish in southern Italy. But in my opinion, broccoli tastes best in vegetable soups.
In Italy this soup is called minestra di broccoli, and it's a bit like stewed cauliflower.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Broccoli 300 g
- Chicken (thigh) 1
- Green peas 100 g
- Carrot 1
- Onion 1
- Celery root 50 g
- Parsley root 50 g
- Potatoes 1
- Garlic 2 cloves
- Fresh parsley 2-3 sprigs
- bay leaf, black pepper, salt, turmeric (curry) to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- Why homemade chicken gives a beautiful clear broth and store-bought chicken doesn't, I have no idea. It's a mystery shrouded in darkness. But to make broccoli soup, you need broth. A chicken thigh works best for it: there's plenty of meat on it, and it makes a rich broth. Just trim off the excess fat and skin.
- In a pot, bring 1 liter of water to a boil, salt it lightly and drop in a whole chicken thigh. Add one bay leaf. If foam forms, skim it off so the broccoli soup stays clear.
- Peel the celery and parsley roots, carrot and onion and cut them into small cubes. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with the flat of a knife. Fresh-frozen green peas don't need to be thawed.
- Add the vegetables to the soup, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, over the lowest heat for about half an hour.
- Then take the bay leaf out of the soup and discard it. Remove the cooked chicken thigh.
- Add the potatoes to the soup, diced as for Olivier salad. Let the chicken thigh cool a little so you don't burn your fingers. Cut out the bone and dice the meat. Return the chicken to the soup. Add turmeric or curry — just a pinch on the tip of a knife. It will give the soup a subtle spicy note and also improve the color of the broth a bit.
- Keep simmering the soup over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the broccoli florets to the soup. Cook for exactly 5 minutes after it comes back to a boil. Season the broccoli soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Take the broccoli soup off the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes.
- By the way, if you like it thicker, you can thicken it with a little flour mixed with water. Then let it boil for a few minutes.
- Ladle the broccoli soup into bowls and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley.
| Yield: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 32 |
| Prep: | 10 mins |
| Cook: | 30 mins |
| Ready in: | 40 mins |
| Category: | Soups |
| Cuisine: | Italian cuisine |
| Rating: |
⭐
⭐
⭐
⭐
⭐
4.6
(3)
|