BROCCOLI SOUP RECIPE

This is a really tasty thick soup that contains lots of broccoli which is full of vitamins and a good source of folic acid. It has lots of good dietary fibre and there are variations on the recipe.
Ingredients
2 onions chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2 heads of broccoli, cut into small pieces and the centre stalk can be peeled and the tender centre chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
4 sticks of celery washed and sliced
2 pints--1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock(see stock recipe)
1/2 pint--250ml of milk
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of thyme
butter or olive oil

Method
Put the butter or olive oil in a large pan and sweat, cook on a gentle heat with the lid on the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add the broccoli, potatoes and celery. Stir and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the stock, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Check the soup and stir. Liquidise the soup and add the milk.
Taste and season as required. Serve.

Garnish
The soup can be garnished with :
1. chopped celery leaves
2. chopped walnuts
3. a swirl of cream, natural yoghurt or creme fraiche
4. pieces of crumbled stilton, this is a strong English blue cheese
5. Lancashire cheese crumbled, this is a white cheese with a nice soft texture and a sharp and tangy flavour.

Variations
1. Use soy milk but do not boil.
2. Add tofu to the soup as a good protein garnish.
3. Leave out the milk to make it non-dairy.
4. Use a different herb such as sage.

CELERY SOUP RECIPE

CELERY SOUP RECIPE
This is a delicious soup, thick in texture with a good flavour. It does not take long to make this soup recipe.
INGREDIENTS
A whole celery about 1 lb or 370gm--washed, sliced into thin pieces and the leaves reserved along with some of the really tender central stalks for garnish.
5oz --110gm --1 cup potatoes, washed, peeled and diced.
2 leeks washed and finely sliced.
1 1/2 --750ml--pints of stock, this can be from a vegetable or chicken stock cube or your own freshly made stock.
salt and pepper
1oz butter or 2 tablespoons of olive oil depending on your preference.
METHOD
Heat the butter or olive oil in a pan, add the celery, potatoes and leeks. Cook on a gentle heat. Stir until they are well mixed and coated. Put the lid on and let the vegetables sweat for 15 minutes on a lower heat. Check and stir to ensure that they do not brown or burn.
Add the stock, salt and pepper to taste, stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
At this point I liquidise the soup and return to the pan to reheat.
VARIATIONS
After liquidising you can add cream to the recipe so that you have Cream of Celery Soup Recipe or you could add about 1/4 pint of milk which would not be as rich.
To serve the soup add the celery garnish to the individual portions.

This shows the first stages of the celery soup recipes. The vegetables are sweating in the pan.

The celery soup is served with the garnish of celery leaves and the celery heart.

Enjoy