Vegivore Eats | Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cheddar Chowder

Does anyone remember the last time we really saw the sun?  I mean, I'm fine with this rain, don't get me wrong (reminds me of living in the wondrous Pacific Northwest), but the darkness and gloom make me want to burrow; to stay warm.  Put on my slippers and call it a day...as soon as I wake up.  Under covers and pajamas forever!
But that's not how normal, functioning members of society operate, so up and dressed we get, ready to face the (albeit cloudy) day ahead.
It's days like today I feel especially lucky that I get to cook for a living (and generally, from home).  I might have three burners going for business, but there's still that one open for the possibility of whatever it is I'm in the mood for.  And today I'm in the mood for soup.
This is not a particularly difficult dish to make, but it does have a secret ingredient that makes it different than most recipes, higher in vitamin C and fiber than most recipes, creamier than most recipes while still lower in fat and even lower in sodium than most recipes (by as much as 35%!).

Using broccoli from Kimball Fruit Farm, homemade vegetable stock, heady sharp cheese, fresh herbs, organic cauliflower and canned Great Northern beans (secret ingredient alert!), this chowder is a mainline to silken vegetarian nutrition.  Fills you up to the top and keeps you there longer than the takeout dinner you'd planned on. For something with only a handful of major ingredients, the flavor is unexpectedly big.

Served in an Au Bon Pain bread bowl because why not.  The staff totally thought I was weird buying a bowl without soup.  ..."Dudes, I need the bowl for reasons, okay"

BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWAH AND CHEDDAH CHOWDAH

serves 6-8

1 Tbs olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, sliced*

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets (about 1/2lb, 3-4 cups)

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1/2lb, 3-4 cups)

1 tsp each fresh tarragon, oregano, rosemary and thyme

3 cups vegetable stock, divided

1 cup water

14oz can of Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup fresh-grated extra sharp cheddar, plus extra for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat.  When shimmering, add the onion and garlic and stir occasionally for a few minutes, infusing the oil and softening the onion.

Add your broccoli and cauliflower florets, as well as the herbs, and cook them in the essentially dry pot for a few minutes, stirring occasionally before adding 2 cups of stock (add it when you get nervous that the pot is *too* dry).  Let the stock come to a boil, then cover and cook for approximately 7 minutes -- florets should be tender.

Stir in the rinsed beans, the cheese and some salt and pepper.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup entirely.  Thin with additional stock as needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to bowl, garnish with extra cheese (or some sour cream, yum) and serve warm.

...

*PRO TIP: slice your garlic vs. mince it to maximize the surface area and promote browning vs. burning.

Soup of the Day: Scotch Broth

My last Chef stint was as the opening Chef at The Haven in Jamaica Plain, Boston's one and only Scottish gastropub.  In doing menu research, I found that some Scotland's best recipes were found in its rich tradition of funny-named soups.  I created my own versions of Scottish staples like Cock a Leekie and Cullen Skink, but perhaps my favorite was Scotch Broth, a hearty wintertime soup of lamb, barley, and root vegetables.  Here's my recipe for Scotch Broth:

1 lamb shank
1 onion, large dice
1/2 bunch of thyme, 3 bay leaves
Chicken stock (homemade is best, low-sodium store-bought is fine)
2 cups pearl barley
1 rutabaga, 2 parsnips, 2 carrots, peeled, large dice

Pre-heat a pot to medium high.  Season the lamb shank thoroughly with salt.  Add a bit of canola oil and sear the lamb shank, turning it every minute or two so that all sides get well browned, and remove.  Turn the heat down to medium low, add the diced onion and a pinch of salt, and sweat until translucent.  Tie the 1/2 bunch of fresh thyme with butchers twine so the stems can be removed later, add the tied thyme, the bay leaves, and the browned lamb shank.  Add enough chicken stock to cover the shank by 1".  On high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 2-3 hours, or until the shank is tender.

Meanwhile, toast the barley in the oven on a sheet tray until is is golden brown.  Make sure you open that oven up a few times and stir that barley, don't let it burn.  Dice your root vegetables.  When the shank is tender, remove it from the broth, and add the barley.  Cook the barley until it is just tender to the bite.  Meanwhile, pick the meat off the shank, and add it back to the broth.  When the barley is minutes from being ready, add the root vegetables, and cook for a few minutes until vegetables are tender but not mushy.  Season to taste with salt (if you use store bought chicken stock, there is already sodium in it and you may not need to add much salt, if any).  Remove the thyme tie and bay leaves, ladle and serve.

This yields a good amount of Scotch Broth.  You can freeze the leftovers in single portions for future use.  It's a great soup to make in bulk, so don't hesitate to double it if your freezer is empty, you can reheat it from frozen in a pot or in the microwave.  It's a meal on its own, and it's also great when you're feeling sick.

Optional: At The Haven, we served our Scotch Broth in a bowl with a roasted 2" beef marrow bone with a straw, so customers can slurp the marrow and broth in a fun, fatty, silly, delicious way.  Also, this soup is rich on its own, the marrow made it over the top, (plus I added a pat of butter to each soup wink wink), so we garnished the soup with chopped fresh parsley and lemon zest (gremolata), which I recommend, whether you use go the extra mile with the marrow or not.

-Chef Wax