What's Cooking In Jane's Kitchen

Cream Of Broccoli Soup ©

November 16, 2016

The broccoli season is here and what nicer, than a warming broccoli soup!

Easy

Four persons

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time : 1/2 hr

Ingredients

1 large head of broccoli ( 1/2 kilo ) crisp and dark green ( not yellowing )!

1 medium onion peeled and diced

50 grams butter

1 -1.5 litres of home made chicken or beef stock

A dash of cream (Optional )

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Choose a nice crisp, dark green head of broccoli. If it is soft or at all yellowing, it is not fresh. It will also yellow if you keep it in the fridge for more than a day, so it is best to use it straight away.
Place broccoli in a large bowl of salted water for five minutes and if picked straight from your garden, inspect it carefully for any caterpillars!
Trim stalk and cut up into 1 cm slices. Break florets into small pieces and reserve in a bowl.
Peel and finely chop onion, add to medium sized saucepan along with butter and sauté until transparent, 3-4 minutes over a medium heat stirring continuously. Do not allow to colour.
Add broccoli pieces to saucepan, cover with grease proof paper and a lid and allow to sweat over a low heat for five minutes.
Pour over beef or chicken stock to just cover the vegetables and gently simmer, lid off this time, to stop vegetables discolouring until stalks are tender and cooked through. 10-15 mins. Test with a sharp fork.
When soup is cool, place in blender. Taste for seasoning and add a little cream for a richer end result.
Serve piping hot, together with hot crusty bread.

This is what you are aiming for.

After soaking broccoli in cold salted water, cut stalk into 1 cm slices and break up florets into small pieces.

Place in bowl ready for cooking.

Peal and dice onion.

Add to medium sized saucepan, along with butter and sauté over a medium heat, stirring continuously until transparent. 3-4 minutes.

Add broccoli pieces to saucepan.

Cover with grease-proof paper and lid. Sweat over a ‘low’ heat for five minutes.

Pour over chicken or beef stock to just cover your vegetables.

Simmer gently “Uncovered” so broccoli does not discolour and until stalks are soft.

Place in blender and whizz until smooth.

Add more stock if necessary to get right consistency. The soup should be on the thick side and taste for seasoning. Add a little cream for extra richness.

Pour into warm soup tureen.

Serve with hot crusty bread……

…..and a glass of wine!

Clementine and Lime Yogurt Sweet © 🍊

November 6, 2016

After the long summer months the Clementine tree in my garden is laden with fruit. What better way to make a quick and easy sweet, but to cut the fruit up and mix it with Greek yogurt, lime, golden syrup and a slug of Gin!

Easy.

Ingredients

1/2 kilo thick Greek Fage yogurt

8 -10 clementines peeled and sliced

2 heaped tbs golden syrup or honey

1 tbs brown sugar or more

Finely chopped lemon verbena leaves

Finely grated ginger root (opt)

Zest of lime ( very fine )

A slug of Gin

Edible flowers, Lemon Verbena and lime slices for decoration

Method

Peel clementines and remove any white pith. Slice and break up into small pieces, keeping an eye out for the occasional pip! Place in large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients, always grating the lime zest on a very fine Zester and the ginger likewise. Mix well and taste for sweetness.
Decorate with edible flowers from the garden.
Chill until ready to eat.

This makes a very nice light cool sweet!