Gwyneth's Broccoli & Cheese Soup

I was really pleased to receive a copy of Gwyneth Paltrow's Notes From My Kitchen Table and surprised about how much I enjoyed reading it.

It is one of those real comforting cookbook reads you can take to bed. Real home cooking with a lovely introduction where Gwyneth talks about her family and how her love of food grew. From there on in it is photo after gorgeous photo. Guaranteed to make your mouth water and your tummy rumble. Each dish has a lovely personal intro, which I though was a nice touch. Although there are fish, chicken and meat recipes in the cookbook, there are plenty of veggie and vegan dishes to enjoy.

Here are a few of the recipes that caught my attention:

White Bean Soup topped with melted parmesan toasts
Portobello & Slow-Roasted Tomato Burgers
Fried Courgette Spaghetti
Sweet Potato Ravioli
Artichoke & Pine Nut Pesto
Vegetable Paella
Spiced Apple Crumb Muffins
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Margarita Granita

However, the day I decided to make a dish was dull and dreich, so I decided comfort food was the order of the day. I settled on the Broccoli & Cheese Soup, thinking that wee Cooper would enjoy it too. Because I was making it with him in mind, I made the soup with cheddar and then just added a crumble of stilton to my bowl. Graham hates blue cheese with a vengeance, so he stuck to the cheddar too. We really enjoyed the soup and I will be adding it to my repertoire.

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Gwyneth's Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission from Boxtree Publishers

September 02, 2011

A really comforting bowl of green, green soup finished off with cheddar or if you are more adventurous, crumbly and punchy stilton. Mmmmmmmm!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly diced
• 2 large stalks broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 40g rocket (or watercress)
• 30 - 60g crumbled strong assertive Stilton for the adults or grated cheddar for the kids

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for just a minute, or until fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes, or until bright green. Add the stock, salt & pepper, bring to the boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is just tender. Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the rocket until quite smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids. Start slowly and work in batches is necessary. Pour the soup back into the pan, stir in 30g of the cheese, taste and add more if you'd like. Serve with black pepper and a drizzle of your best olive oil.

Details

Total time: 20 mins Yield: Serves 4

While we are talking about soups, I would really appreciate it if you would head over to New Covent Garden Soup Co and vote for my Roast Onion and Lemon Thyme Love Soup. I have submitted it to them for their special monthly soup, for Valentine's Day. Thank you.

Just a wee reminder. If you fancy winning a cute apron, then be sure to entry my Giveaway.

A new monthly list of challenges and giveaways is live on The Food Blog Diary now. There are still more to be added, so be sure to visit regularly.

I also have a rather tasty Tomato Couscous Salad over at Little Tums. I'm not getting many visitors over there, so be sure to stop by and say hi, so I don't get too lonely.

Disclosure Statement: I received this book free from the publisher to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.