SPOONFUL - Cream of Brocolli with Croutons and Crispy ham

It's rainy season again and the weather is perfect for soup! I love how a hot bowl of soup feels so good when it rains. Anyway, here is my recipe for Cream of Brocolli with croutons and crispy ham

Ingredients:

Brocolli stalk, chopped into small pieces

Onion, minced

Chicken stock

Cream

Salt and pepper

Nutmeg

Ham, chopped

Croutons

Procedure:

Heat pan and render fat off from ham until ham is crispy

Set aside the crispy ham

Sweat onions in rendered fat

Add chopped brocolli stalks

Add chicken stock and simmer until stalks are soft

Remove from heat

Puree soup in a blender until smooth 

Return to pan and simmer for a few more minutes

Add chicken stock if necessary

Add cream

Season with salt and pepper

Add a pinch of nutmeg

When desired consistency is reached remove from heat

Serve. Top with croutons and crispy ham

I used brocolli stalks that was left over from a previous dish. We are so used to using only the florettes but the stalk (or at least the top part of the stalk) is still edible. But be sure to use only the top part. The bottom part is thicker and fibrous.

Tip:

Don't simmer the stalks for too long. It would cause discoloration and could turn the soup murky

Use culinary cream if possible. All purpose cream tend to curdle when simmered. Resulting in little cream globules in the soup

I used a stick blender but an osterizer would result just the same. If there are fibers from the stalk even after pureeing, pass the soup into a sieve

You can make your own croutons! Slice an old bread into cubes. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and place in an oven toaster until crunchy and golden brown.

Happy cooking!