Creamy Broccoli Soup

This time last year: Kale and Swiss Chard with Caramelized Onions and Chicken Penne with Greens and Raspberries

When do we become confident soup makers?  When do we become confident cooks for that matter, counting on regular success in the kitchen and perhaps even believing that cooking is something we should do for a living?   For something so basic to our survival, it is astonishing how much practice it takes to become a really good cook.  Take soup.  I know that if I start with some chopped onions, some garlic, and a few basic ingredients that I can make something delicious.  But it wasn't always that way.

I had already mastered a few basics when I left home: macaroni and cheese, pancakes, stirfry.  But far away on the other side of the country, I missed my mother's chicken soup.  And she couldn't really tell me how to make it, because she Just Made It.  Also, I was vegetarian at the time, so I couldn't admit it. 

I was working at my first real cooking job, at a bowling alley on Saltspring Island, British Columbia.  I didn't have a phone, or a house for that matter, but I had a job.  I'd wake up each morning in my tent, shower at the marina down the road, and head in.  If I was late, my boss would call the woman who owned the land I was camping on, and she would holler at me from her house up the hill.  Kings Lane Recreation was a combination bowling alley/pool hall/arcade/restaurant beloved by Ganges locals.  The food was great.  Turkeys were continuously roasted, halibut filleted by hand for fish and chips, dough for butter tarts rolled out and filled.  And big pots of soup were made from scratch.

After working for the owner,  Ruth,  for a while, I progressed from counter girl to gravy maker to full time cook.  Following recipes that had been used for years, I slowly gained confidence in soup-making and most other kitchen duties.  I also learned a great deal about being a boss and business owner. Ruth was generous, kind, crazy, and bursting with love for her family and community.  She could flirt like nobody's business and always kept tubes of lipstick by the sink for applying when the rush of hardworking men would come in for lunch.  I think of her whenever I choose the heel of the bread for my sandwich at work (it'd go to waste otherwise) or hire someone with no experience just because I like them.  That's how Ruth would do it.

When I moved back home to NS, Ruth and I kept in touch.  She was the last person I regularly corresponded with by mail and I looked forward to her letters filled with news about her amazing children, travels with her husband, and Saltspring gossip.  Now it's only every few years that we check up on each other, but I'll always remember her taking a chance on me and giving me a start in the right direction.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Choose a lovely bunch of local broccoli for this soup.  That's the secret to its success!

1 large bunch Broccoli
3 C. Water or Stock
1 1/2 t. Salt
3 T. Butter
1 medium Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 C. Flour
2 C. Milk (I use 1 or 2%)
Optional: 1/2 to 1 C. grated Cheddar

Cut the broccoli from the main stem and peel the stem.  Cut all the broccoli into 1/4" pieces.  Put them in a pot along with the water or stock and the salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat and set aside for now.  Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat and add the onions.  Stir and cook for about ten minutes, until the onions are tender and golden, then add the garlic and the flour.  Let cook for a minute, then whisk in the milk.   Stir or whisk continuously as it thickens and begins to bubble.  Add the broccoli and its cooking water and stir to combine.  Let the soup simmer for at least a few minutes, adding the optional cheese and lots of black pepper.  Enjoy in the company of good people.

Itty Bitter Broccoli

Broccoli Raab is a delicious leafy and slightly bitter version of broccoli.  It has tiny florets on top of thick stems and is sold in bunches.  I've been growing it in my garden for the last few years and it's really easy: the seeds can be planted directly in the early spring, and when the plants get about 8 inches tall you can start harvesting the tops (the plant will continue to grow).  Like many of the greens I used to hate as a kid, they are addictive when braised with garlic and olive oil, and especially mouthwatering paired up with sausage and cheese.  The blanching step here greatly reduces the bitterness of the raab.  If you can't find it, substitute kale or Swiss chard or even spinach (no need to blanch chard or spinach first).
Incidentally, did you know that your tolerance (and hankering) for Bitter increases as you get older?  Little kids are generally very sensitive to acrid tastes, but less sensitive than the grown-ups to sour.  That's why they like to suck on lemons, and also why they will not like this.  Our kids just had the sausage on bread with ketchup and mustard.

Broccoli Raab and Sweet Italian Sausage Sandwiches

1 Baguette, cut into 4 pieces
1 bunch Broccoli Raab
1 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, cooked and sliced
1 C. Shredded Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice each baguette chunk in half horizontally and place on a baking sheet.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 T. salt.  Add the broccoli raab and cook for two minutes, until the stems are just tender.  Remove and drain in a colander, then rinse with cold water.  Chop into bite sized pieces.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in  a large pan over medium high heat and saute the onion.  After a few minutes, when the onions have softened but are not browned, add the garlic and the chopped raab.  Stir and cook a minute, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat.  Layer greens, sausage and mozzarella on the baguette halves.  Bake for about ten minutes, until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown.