Don't like broccoli? This soup will change your mind

Last week I stayed at the home of a wonderful family in Berlin who happened to have a personal chef from Germany’s Black Forest region. Lunches and dinners were served at the dining table, overlooking a beautiful green lawn surrounded by very tall trees. One evening we ate grilled lamb chops with small deep-fried potato croquettes and a salad of arugula, goat cheese and plums. Another night we had ratatouille accompanied by individual parchment pochettes at each dinner plate that revealed small steaming blocks of cheese, reminiscent of feta, dressed with tomatoes and a deep green sauce of basil. For dessert we were served decadent dark and white chocolate mousse.

But the meal that left the most lasting impression on me was the simplest one. On the day of my arrival, we had broccoli soup — served in a most gorgeous white ceramic tureen — with homemade bread. The soup turned me into a fan of broccoli, a vegetable I did not previously admire. So delicious it was that I came home and right away and attempted to replicate his soup – now one of my favourites.

Serves 4 Ingredients:

• 200 grams/7oz/1 yellow onion, peeled and diced • 500 grams/1 lb broccoli • 150 grams/5 oz/1 potato, peeled and diced • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock • 3 cloves garlic, chopped • 1 bay leaf, dried or fresh • Salt, preferably sea salt • White pepper • Nutmeg • Olive oil • Butter

Toppings: Here are two recommendations, though any extra additions are not necessary for this fine soup. Experiment and make your own toppings: sour cream mixed with paprika, a drizzle of heavy cream or olive oil, croutons. The possibilities are endless.

Option 1 (vegetarian):

Handful of finely grated cheddar cheese

Option 2 (non-vegetarian): • 3 tbsp crème fraiche • 2 anchovies filets in oil • 5 basil leaves • Lemon zest from ¼ of a lemon

Preparation:

1 Prepare the broccoli. Cut out 12-16 small florets and set a side to steam and use as garnish. Roughly chop the remaining florets and chop the stalk into thin slices.

2 Warm olive oil and butter in a soup pot. Add the onion, broccoli, potato and bay leaf. Stir frequently until the onions start to soften. Add the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir for a few more minutes and add the stock. The vegetables should be soft, but not browned when the stock is added in.

3 Cover and let the contents simmer until the potatoes and broccoli have softened enough to easily cut through with the back of a spatula.

4 Remove the bay leaf. In batches, thoroughly blend the contents in a high-speed blender. Blend for 30-60 seconds for the soup to get a very creamy texture.

5 Rinse the soup pot of any small remaining solids, and pour the blended soup back into the pot. Add a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg. Adjust seasoning.

6 Steam the raw broccoli florets until they are bright green, but do not overcook. They must have a bite to them.

7  Option 1: If serving with cheddar cheese, stir in a handful of cheese into the soup pot. Ladle into shallow blows and garnish with a few steamed broccoli florets.

8  Option 2: Very finely mince 2 anchovy filets in oil and 5-6 basil leaves. Stir into 3 tbsp crème fraiche. Add a very small amount of lemon zest to the mixture – no more than ¼ of a lemon. Mix. Ladle soup into shallow bowls, garnish with a few steamed broccoli florets and add a dollop of the crème fraiche on top.