This recipe is an absolute classic! And it’s one of my favourite soups. I love broccoli, whether it’s steamed, cooked, stir-fried… However it’s been prepared, I just love it! And this soup is broccoli heaven. Add to that the wonderful Stilton and you have an outright winner. It’s great as main dish or as a starter to your meal. Stilton is a British blue cheese which you can substitute with other blue cheeses like Gorgonzola, Danish blue, Roquefort, Bleu D’Ambert, etc. Just don’t leave out the crouton-seeds mix 😉 It adds the final touch to the dish. For a hint of smokiness, you use smoked paprika instead of the regular one for the croutons and seeds.
Ingredients
Difficulty
For 3-4 persons
- 650 gr broccoli, chopped
- 2 celery sticks
- 200 gr potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 onion
- 1,25 l vegetable stock
- 150 gr Stilton (set 50 gr aside for garnish)
- 100 ml cream
- 3 slices of old bread
- 4 tablespoons sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and/or pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecan nuts or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Extra bread to serve
Directions
- Finely chop the onion. Wash the celery sticks, remove the top and bottom and thinly chop them.
- Heat a bit of oil in a pan and gently sweat the onion, potatoes and celery, on medium heat for about 7 minutes.
- Add the broccoli.
- Add the vegetable stock, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli and potatoes are cooked through. Check that with a knife; if it slides in easily, then they are cooked.
- Cut the bread in into small squares. Heat a bit of oil in a pan, add the bread, pecan nuts and paprika. Keep shaking constantly until the bread is toasted on all sides.
- Add the seeds and lightly roast them a couple of minutes.
- Once the broccoli is cooked, blend the soup in a blender or with a mixer. Add the cream and 100 gr crumbled Stilton and blend again.
- Pour the soup onto warm deep plates or bowls, garnish with the crouton and seeds mix and some crumbled Stilton.
- Serve it hot with some extra bread on the side.
