Elegant Broccoli-Apple Soup

Here is a broccoli soup that is light, elegant, and delicious. The broccoli is so subtle that you can serve this to a broccoli hater and they will become a convert.  This is a broth soup, not the usual much heavier cream of broccoli soup to which many of us are accustomed.

Broccoli-Apple Soup

• makes six large servings
• quick, inexpensive, with vegetarian/vegan adaptation

1.  Peel and coarsely chop three shallots.

2.  Peel and coarsely chop three cloves of garlic.

3.  Wash head of broccoli, discard long stems and leaves, and coarsely chop.

4.  Peel, core and coarsely chop a medium-sized apple -- preferably tart.

5.  In a large soup pot, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  When hot add shallots and garlic, stirring over heat for about two minutes.  (You don't want to brown them.)

6.  Add broccoli to pot and stir all three ingredients over the heat for two minutes.

7.  Add apple to pot and stir for a minute.

8.  Add the juice of 1/2 of a lemon along with one quart of water and 4 chicken (or vegetable) bouillon cubes, a teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/4 teaspoon celery salt.

9. Cover pot. Turn heat up to high and bring liquid to a boil. Then decrease heat to low, and let pot simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.  I left and went jogging.

10. When broccoli is tender, put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until there are no chunks . . . you might want to add 1/4 cup of low-fat milk at this point . . . but it's not necessary.

11. You can serve the soup by itself but I made little whole wheat dumplings with flour from a local farmer. It would also be good with wild rice for something truly upscale.

It's frothy from the blender.