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Spice Blend Recipe Page Banner - TUSCANY

RECIPE:  BROCCOLI-SPINACH SOUP

 

Broccoli soup is a favorite in our house as an afternoon pick-me-up, pre-dinner starter...

TUSCANY Broccoli Soup 1 - Served 8x10L I

...topped with a bit of cheese for protein and crushed red chili flakes for a bit of heat and metabolism boost.  The fresh spinach added after cooking enhances the green color and kicks up the nutrient power.  Just get it in you!

PREP TIME:  10 min

STOVE TIME: 

Wonderbag Method 15 min

Conventional Method 50 min

SERVES:  6

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SOUP:

  • 3 Tbsp ( 45 ml) olive oil

  • 1 yellow onion, diced

  • 1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped (about 1 lb/500 g)

  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard

  • 1 sachet TASTE OF TUSCANY spice blend

  • 4 cups (1 litre) chicken or vegetable stock

  • 1 cup (25 g) fresh spinach (reserved for after cooking)

  • Salt and pepper

 

OPTIONAL GARNISH:

  • grated cheddar (or goudse kaas)

  • crushed red chili flakes or cayenne pepper

 

COOK THE SOUP
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
 

1)  Heat a 2 ½ quart (3 litre) pot on medium-high.  Add olive oil and onions and saute 5 minutes, until onions are soft and start to brown.

 

2)  Add TUSCANY spice blend and cook for one minute to toast the spices and activate their flavors.

 

3)  Add the broccoli, mustard, and stock/broth, and bring to a boil.

 

4)  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

 

 

 

WONDERBAG METHOD
 

1)  Heat a 2 ½ quart (3 litre) pot on medium-high.  Add olive oil and onions and saute 5 minutes, until onions are soft and start to brown.

 

2)  Add TUSCANY spice blend and cook for one minute to toast the spices and activate their flavors.

 

3)  Add the broccoli, mustard, and stock/broth, and bring to a boil.   Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.

 

4)  Seal your lidded pot in the Wonderbag and leave to cook for a minimum of 45 minutes (you can also leave it 2-3 hours if you get busy, no worries).

SERVE

After the soup has cooked, add the fresh spinach and puree the mixture into a smooth consistency using a hand/staff mixer (pictured) or transfer to a food processor or blender to puree.

I love it with a bit of grated cheese (broccoli and cheese are a match made in heaven 👌) and crushed red chilli flakes for a little heat and a metabolism boost. 💃 🕺 )

You can also top with a bit of fresh basil and a drizzle of basil-infused oil (I had it on hand, it's yummy on everything if I'm honest 😋)

COOKS NOTES

INGREDIENTS

 

SALT:  I use an organic chicken broth that is not very salty at all, thus I use 1 tsp of salt in this recipe.  If you use a broth with a lot of added salt (I don’t recommend that…they can over do it) then you might not need to add any salt at all.  Taste it first, and then you’ll get a feel for how much salt you need.

 

SPINACH:  Blend in fresh spinach leaves AFTER the soup has cooked to keep the flavor light and delicate.  If you cook the spinach with the soup, you'll get a more bitter taste.  Still yummy to adults, but maybe not to kids.

BASIL OIL GARNISH

 

While this soup is delicious un-garnished, the basil oil elevates the soup for those ‘dinner party’ nights.  You can buy basil-infused oil or simply make your own by blending a few basil leaves with olive oil and letting it sit (refrigerated) for at least a day to infuse.  It will keep up to 3 weeks for other yummy uses...like Caprese salad...just sayin'...

KITCHEN BUDDIES

 

The WONDERBAG is ideal for fresh vegetable soups to enable a slow cook and retention of flavor and nutrients (i.e. you're not opening the soup to stir, so all goodness is trapped inside).

 

I find a STAFF MIXER / HAND BLENDER is the easiest as you can puree the soup directly in the pot but you can also transfer to a food processor or blender.

Recipe & Photo Credit:  Cathy Menees

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