Quick + Easy: Potato & Broccoli Soup

After a few fleeting days of glorious fall weather last week, a winter chill is slowly starting to creep into Cincinnati. The changing of the seasons means more than just a change in the availability of ingredients for me -- I stop craving salads. I crave Indian food. I eat more soup.

I love recipes that use potatoes to make a smooth rich soup, rather than a starchy roux or cream. It also helps make the soup more substantial to me, like I am eating a proper meal rather than eating a soup to start. This soup is super fast, cheap, and easy to make. Whenever I am done with a chunk of parmesan cheese, I throw the rind into the freezer to use for soups. However, this soup is still delicious without it. This recipe can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. It can be made vegan by subbing the veggie broth, omitting the parmesan, and using a squeeze of lemon at the end to brighten the soup (which I did anyway). You can also make a parmesan crisp if you feel fancy, but otherwise, this hearty simple soup + some sourdough rolls did just the trick to warm my bones tonight.

(makes 4 servings)

1 head of broccoli

1 tbspn. of butter

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1.5 cups of chicken broth

1.5 cups water

Salt + pepper

1 parmesan rind (optional)

1/2 cup of parmesan, shredded

Lemon wedges (optional)

Cut the broccolli florets into little pieces and set aside. Roughly chop the tough stems of the broccolli and set aside with the potatoes. 

Melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and sautee until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, potato + broccoli stem mix, broth, water, salt + pepper, and parmesan rind to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot and season with salt + pepper to taste.

Top each bowl with some parmesan and some lemon juice if desired.

Xoi lap xuong

I just purchased tickets to see my family for Thanksgiving this week and it's making me feel like Thanksgiving is just around the corner, even though we've barely reached Halloween. My family makes a mix of Asian and typical American Thanksgiving foods for our big meal -- a turkey marinated in Peking duck spices, stuffing and cranberry sauce along side a bowl of quick pickled cucumbers, onions & radishes, and always always xôi lạp xưởng -- sticky rice with chinese sausage. My mother has perfected a quick method of cooking this dish in a microwave, so if you exclude the time spent soaking the rice this meal takes less than 20 minutes. Awesome. A small price to pay for a taste of home.

The soy sauce and sugar quantities listed below are a minimum suggested amount -- it is easier to add soy sauce to taste when you eat. You can adjust accordingly when you become more comfortable cooking this dish.

2 cups of sticky rice (it may be labeled as "nep" in an Asian store)
8 dried shitake mushrooms or fresh shitake mushrooms
1 tspn. vegetable oil

1 1/2 chinese sausages, halved and cut into half moon shaped pieces
1 1/2 carrots, diced

1/4 onion, diced
handful of dried baby shrimp (optional)
1 1/2 tbspns. soy sauce
1 tspn. white sugar

In a large microwave safe bowl, cover the rice with warm water and soak overnight.

When ready to cook, drain the water and then cover the rice again with enough water to just cover the rice. Place a paper towel over the bowl and cook in the microwave for 8 minutes. Take the bowl out and stir the rice, cover again with the paper towel and cook for an additional 5 minutes. If the rice is still soggy and all the water hasn't been absorbed, keep microwaving it in 3 minute increments until the rice is moist and sticky, but not too wet.

In the meantime, if using dried shitake mushrooms, bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the mushrooms until tender, drain, rinse with cold water, pat dry and slice.

Heat the oil in a sautee pan. Add the chinese sausages and sautee until lightly browned. Add the carrots, onion,  mushrooms, and dried baby shrimp (if using). Sautee until the onions are translucent. Add the soy sauce and sugar, cook until the sugar dissolves.

Combine the sauteed mixture with the cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.