A Green Soup for a Fruitless Mind

I had many ideas for my first post but, in true academic style, I overthought each one: was this one too boring, that one too complicated, or the other too pretentious as an introduction to me, my life, and what I like to eat?

On one of those days, I found myself scouring the sorry state of my fridge for leftovers that could achieve three goals:

a) be healthy(ish), so I wouldn’t end up reprimanding myself for both my eating choices and my indecision;

b) use up ingredients in a way that felt resourceful and spared my wallet;

c) require some effort, so I could say I ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING TODAY (with visual evidence to ‘casually’ share with my husband, as proof of my natural housewife prowess).

By the end of this mission, I was staring at a bowl of food that represented everything this blog stands for. So here you go. It may not be the sexiest of meals, but it’s as good a place to start as any—and sometimes, starting is our best achievement.

N.B. My broccoli and gorgonzola were in sad way, but neither seemed to affect the outcome. In fact, the hardening rind left on the remnants of my blue cheese made for a lovely texture. 

Servings: 1            🥖 GF    🥕 V

Time:
👐 Hands-on: 15 minutes
⏳ Hands-off: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Main Dish

• Olive oil, for frying

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 garlic clove, minced (or a pinch of garlic powder)

• ½ head of broccoli, cut into florets

• Chilli flakes, to taste

• 750ml vegetable stock

• 50–100g gorgonzola, depending on strength preference (or any blue cheese; grated cheddar also works)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Toppings

• A splash of balsamic vinegar
• A few basil leaves

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat.

2. Add the onion and garlic (but not the garlic powder, if using) and cook until softened (about 5 mins).

3. Add the broccoli florets and enough vegetable stock so that the broccoli is covered (You may not need all the stock - I tend to use powdered stock and add this to the pan after the water, so that I don’t end up throwing away any stock residue that usually sits at the bottom of pre-prepared stock).

4. Boil on a medium-to-high heat until the broccoli is soft (max 15 mins). Blitz until smooth in a blender or use a stick blender but be mindful that you may not want to use all the liquid, so reserve some and add if you need a thinner consistency.

5. Put the soup back on the heat to heat up again and add chilli flakes and garlic powder now if using.

6. Take off the heat to add the gorgonzola (or other blue cheese). Once melted sufficiently, taste to see if you’d like salt or pepper. 

7. Serve hot, with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a few basil leaves, if you’d like. If you’re using grated cheddar instead of gorgonzola, add now instead of the vinegar and basil (unless you want all the things, then crack on).

Storage Instructions

I tend to cover whatever leftovers there are with the saucepan lid and pop in the fridge once cool. It lasts up to about a week chilled but can also be frozen. Reheat thoroughly before serving.