The best way to enjoy a rainy afternoon is with a nice bowl of soup! This recipe comes from my Mother-in Law, one of the best cooks I know. She adapted it from one of her favorite recipe books, the Silver Palate Cookbook. She added her own awesome twists – a little potato to make it taste even creamier, and a touch of cinnamon which seems to bring out all of the flavors at once. This soup is so flavorful and satisfying, and the most gorgeous color of green.
Another great thing about soup is that you can celebrate all of the flavors of your home grown vegetables, even if they look a little funny. For example, we had some FLC’s (funny looking carrots) that no one would eat. But in soup form, they get chopped up and even pureed. Their deliciousness comes out and no one is the wiser.
Not quite Nona’s Broccoli and Spinach Soup
Course: Main, AppetizerDifficulty: Medium6
servings20
minutes1
hour1
hour20
minutesA delightfully green soup that tastes creamy with no cream in the recipe. Adapted from the The Silver Palate Cookbook. Nona’s brilliant addition is the touch of cinnamon which gives it a kick and seems to enhance every flavor.
Ingredients
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 leeks, sliced thin
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 carrots, diced
2 green onion stalks, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp tarragon
2 Tbsp Suzie Q (to taste)
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 medium sized heads broccoli, florets only, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 cups fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Directions
- In a large dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks. Add sea salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until softened. Add the carrots, green onions, celery and potato and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, red pepper, and Susie Q spice. Stir in the broth and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add broccoli and parsley. Cover and simmer for another ten minutes, until soft. Remove bay leaves. Add spinach, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Working in batches, blend soup to preferred consistency. Alternatively, use a stick blender in dutch oven. Return soup to duch oven and heat on low for 5-10 minutes. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and serve right away. If the soup sits too long simmering on the stove, the color will turn from that pretty, spinach green to an uglier, browner, too-cooked, spinach-y green.
Notes
- If you can’t find Suzie Q’s spice, here’s a substitution that works in a pinch for 2 Tbsp Suzie Q’s. 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper , 1 tsp parsley and 1 tbsp sugar.
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