Broccoli Soup

Normally we only eat florets of broccoli, but there is so much goodness and flavour in the stalk – this simple, delicious soup from Max La Manna's...

Ingredients

• 3 large broccoli stalks with the florets removed from the stalk
• 1 small leek, sliced into 1cm rounds
• 1 l homemade vegetable stock, alternatively you can use 2 vegetable stock cubes
• some extra virgin olive oil
• a pinch of smoked paprika
• 1 Handvoll leafy vegetables (rocket, spinach or kale), and more for garnish
• 1 TL grated fresh ginger
• 200 ml milk (or coconut milk if you prefer)
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Handvoll cooked peas

Steps

1. Preparation
2. Cut the broccoli stalks and the florets into 5 cm pieces. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the broccoli and leeks in it for 3-5 minutes. Drain the vegetables - keep the cooking water for a vegetable stock; see tips. Set aside a few of the florets to use as garnish.
3. Heat the vegetable stock in a separate pan over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or until it comes to a gentle simmer.
4. Place the broccoli and leeks in a blender with a generous drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper and the paprika. Add the hot vegetable stock, the leafy greens and the ginger. Puree together on high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the milk or coconut milk on a low speed.
5. Serve in a bowl with the radishes, reserved broccoli florets and the remaining leafy vegetables. Leftover peas make a great side dish and stale bread made into croutons adds a great crunch on top.