Today was one of those windy, rainy early Spring days that makes your remember Winter still has teeth. Even though it’s 60*F outside, the wind alone made it the perfect day to make soup. I looked through my fairly bare cupboards and fridge and decided on cream of broccoli soup with coconut milk. I love broccoli stems and I used them as well as the crowns in this recipe. If they’re woody, use a vegetable peeler to get to the tender centers. I diced the stems and cooked them until soft before adding the florets.

The soup as a whole turned out better than I expected. The sweetness of the coconut milk toned down the often sulfur taste of the broccoli while the bay leaf added a nice scent and herbaceous flavor. If using commercially prepared stock or broth, add half the amount of sea salt and taste test it before serving. Too little salt and the coconut undertones will become overtones yet too much salt isn’t a good thing either.

2 bunches of broccoli, stems diced and separated from florets
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 14oz can of coconut milk
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

In a medium saucepot add vegetable oil, garlic and onion. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring often. Add broccoli stems, vegetable stock, bay leaf, salt and pepper and simmer until broccoli stems are cooked through. Remove the bay leaf and add the broccoli florets and coconut milk. Simmer until florets are cooked yet still retain their bright green color. Remove from heat and puree in batches in either a food processor or blender.