We’ve had snow here and there this winter, but this week’s storm saw closings called the night before for many, an invitation to sleep in a bit and linger over some home-cooked comfort food.
It’s one of those days where just about everything is closed, the schools, some shops, town clerk’s offices, community college, the pottery studio where I take a class on Thursdays. We’ve only had a couple big snows this winter so far, but mostly we’ve had scattered storms that promised much but didn’t deliver on the predicted accumulations except in the mountains.
Light a fire
So I light a fire and make soup. It’s a good day for it.
Two very different dogs
Bailey, my older dog, hates the snow and rain, so he is quick to do his business. But Riley, the three-year old who is still very much a puppy, romps to his heart’s content, taking snow baths, wanting to play fetch, and refusing to come in. This is his kind of day.
Use what you have, ’cause baby it’s cold outside
The reports say the roads are treacherous, and I have not seen the plow go through; I am making my soup with what I have on hand – broccoli, at least part of two large bunches with big fat stems. Mushrooms, my favorite shiitake I was saving for omelets, but I like the idea of using them in a creamed soup with the broccoli. Cream of course is a term being used loosely here as my ‘dairy’ in the house is in the form of oat milk. Since most of the bits of the soup are going to be puréed, the cream with all its saturated fat is not necessary to thicken, and neither is a roux, so no wheat as well.
Where’s the flavor?
My pet peeve with many cream of broccoli soups is that they are too creamy and don’t taste enough like the broccoli, perhaps because of the high fat content, and I love the flavor of broccoli. Sometimes there’s too much floury roux, or they’ve been cooked too long as well, and all the life has gone out of the vegetables. This is a quick soup I’m making for lunch with no long simmering, it has one job and that is to warm us up while the winds blow outside.
Color and flavor
Because I want to keep as much color as possible, I’m sequestering the tops and stems of the broccoli, and yes, this is a perfect use for those stems we’ve been talking about. The stems take longer to cook, so I’m flash cooking the mushrooms and the broccoli tops just to tender and to set the beautiful green color. I’ll add them back in at the end.
No need to measure
I’m not precise with the measurements here because it doesn’t matter, you don’t even have to use broccoli. Cauliflower is a good stand in, as is potato, or rutabaga. This is a snow day soup, it’s about what you have on hand, blended together to warm and delight.
It’s almost ready. I’m adding another log on the fire, putting the finishing touches on the soup, and we’re ready to eat! If the roads weren’t so bad, I’d ask you over, but I’ll save you a bowl while you stay safe.
Cream of Broccoli and Mushroom Soup
- One or two bunches of broccoli, unpeeled, florets cut off from the stalks
- 4 or 5 ounces or so of shiitake mushrooms, or other favorite
- Olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped small
- 1 rib of celery, chopped small
- 1 large onion, or leek, or a few shallots, chopped small
- A handful of dried mushrooms (good to always have in the cupboard)
- Some vegetable or chicken broth or just water
- Some milk, oat, other plant, any % dairy, or canned evaporated
- Nutmeg, freshly grated
- Salt and pepper
Cut the florets off the broccoli stems into bite-sized pieces. Chop up the stems and set aside.
Slice the mushrooms and place in the bottom of a stock pot with some olive oil. Cook until brown on one side, then turn and add the broccoli florets. Continue cooking just until the broccoli is tender and the florets a vibrant green. Set these aside.
Add a bit more olive oil to the pan and toss in the onion, celery, and carrot. Let these cook until the onion is translucent, then add the broccoli stems, the dried mushrooms, and a couple of cups of stock or water. Make sure the vegetables are covered. Season, and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook just until the vegetables are tender and dried mushrooms are softened.
Add a couple cups of the milk of choice, warm, taste and season again. If you have an abundance of broccoli tops, as I did, toss about half back in pot with the other vegetables, then purée with a hand blender, a traditional blender, food processor, or food mill. If you want your soup to be totally pureed, toss it all in before you blend. I like it with some texture, but to each his own.
For warmer days and climates:
Of course if you are living where it is nice and warm today, you can turn this into a delightful chilled soup. Make as directed, but fully purée everything to nice and smooth, adding the zest of a lemon. Chill for several hours, then serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
Grate in the nutmeg, a little at a time until you can just taste it, but it doesn’t scream nutmeg. Add the sautéed mushrooms and rest of the broccoli tops back in and taste again for seasoning, always good to taste along the way.
Serve with croutons, or toasted bread, a drizzle of olive oil, or a pat of butter or vegan butter.
Now, the fire needs another log. It’s going to be a long, cold night.
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Almost wish it was winter…..
Almost….
Oh, I can almost smell and taste it, D! Looks fantastic and I love your very ‘cool’ fire! 😎
Oh, it was the best last night with the wind howling through. Nice to be inside with my pot of tea.
Where would we be without our fireplace, music and a pot of tea? 🫖
Nowhere!
Sounds delicious! I will be making some soon.
Great! It’s right in your wheelhouse Laurie!
Did you get much snow?
We have over a foot right now. How about you?
Same, only it’s still snowing, and doesn’t look like it wants to end any time soon!
Winter found northern New England!
It did indeed!
Sounds delicious. It is getting cold next week, so this sounds like a perfect soup to make.
It’s quick too Julia, and very warming.
What a perfect winter dish. And those bread crumbs on top also look divine!
Truth be told, the croutons are one of my favorite parts!!!
Your dog is having lots of fun in the snow!! ⛄️
What a lovely soup although the days are a bit hot here for soup. This will go in the book to made in a few months. Sounds absolutely scrummy!
Mary :))
Thanks Mary!
This is a soup that would eat great chilled as well! I’d probably puree it very finely.
Thank you, Dorothy, for the beautiful soup which I cook often in winter. I love the dry mushrooms as they add flavour.
Joanna
Thanks Joanna! The mushrooms really boost the flavor in this, especially if you are using water and not broth in the base.
Just when I have 500 grams of oyster mushrooms! Looks amazing
Oh, I love the oyster mushrooms too! So full of flavor and succulent!
Perfect antidote to chilly weather
It warmed us up from the inside out!
Excellent!! A perfect soup for such a day.
Thanks Misky! It really hit the spot!
Oh that pupppy! Love your fireplace. Great soup. I agree with you – i love butter and cream but I want to taste the vegetables.
People don’t realize how much the fat coats the tongue and dulls the other flavors!
That puppy is indeed cute, and a little scamp!
Snow! How lovely just the weather for soup and it sounds delicious no snow here but I had a glut of tomatoes so it was tomato and red bell pepper soup in my kitchen this week…Have a great weeknd Dorothy I hope you don’t get snowed in 🙂
Not quite totally snowed in, but the plow guy hasn’t been through yet!
I know there is a downside to snow but I used to love looking out at freshly laid snow with just a few bird prints on it… Just magical ❤️
There’s nothing better than a bowl of creamy soup on a snow day. I love the addition of mushrooms, yum!
Jenna
Thanks Jenna! It was perfect!
Stay warm and cozy while enjoying your delicious soup!
Thanks Jan!!!
This soup is so perfect for a cold, snow day! Broccoli and mushrooms is a combination I haven’t yet tried, so it’s definitely on my list! 🙂
Thanks Ronit! It’s good, and very snow-day satisfying!
Mmm. Deliciousness. I like broccoli soup. 🥦🫕
We feel healthy when we eat it in any form !
Oh, you had me with creamed broccoli – everything else is a perk!
Tasty, easy, and comforting!
Great combination!
Thanks so much!
Wonderful! Don’t think I have had broccoli and mushrooms together in a soup but so love both and would love to try your recipe cold . . . our cold weather being 3-4 months away and possibly you would not be impressed with the ‘cold’ anyways 🙂 !
It’s all relative, isn’t it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Btw, I now process banana PEELS in my smoothies! No diff in texture, and I see it is more nutritious!🤠
I love snow days! And soup!
I agree, snow days are the best!
Oh I can smell the soup cooking and hear the fire crackling.
This is my kind of soup!
Thanks Nancy! My kind of soup day!
We’re getting snow and this soup looks perfect!
We’re getting more here, too! Definitely a white winter!
The soup looks delicious and so simple to make.
I adore your disclaimer: Our posts and images are created by a human, not by AI. We like it that way. Brilliant!
Thanks Ally!
People don’t realize how ‘same’ so many of these ‘unique’ images are!
I love snow days! We didn’t think we’d get any here in the Greater Seattle area, but we had a string of them this past week. Even Alex got to take his college classes online–and Nate and I did remote work. It was fun! Soup was definitely on the menu.
It’s a nice little break from our usual routines!
Dorothy, I was thinking of you last night when I saw on the news that the East Coast was getting a snow storm. We are expected to get a storm on Wednesday.
What a perfect day to cozy-in and enjoy a fire and pot of soup. I like your idea of combining the broccoli with the mushrooms, and I agree with you on omitting the cream. I feel better without the heavy dairy.
Thanks Mary! I can’t remember the last time I actually used cream in a creamed soup. I love this method, and the flavors are sharper.
It’s still snowing, has been for days, feels like it always will be….
Wonderful recipe Dorothy and love your dogs… such fun… we are cold here and there is nothing like a bowl of homemade soup and fresh sourdough bread and butter to take the chill off. ♥
It’s been snowing here for days!
That soup looks so good!
Thank you!!!
You’re welcome!
Hi Dorothy, this soup sounds delicious. I’m going to try this.
I hope you enjoy it as much as us Roberta! We’re having a major storm that started last night ad has already dumped a foot and a half!
Wow, there is never snow in South Africa.
You can have some of mine!
Haha, I have to travel to see snow.
What the perfect soup for a snow day Dorothy! Broccoli is so versatile yet I always forget about making soup!
We’ve done a lot of soup making this winter! More snow last weekend!
This soup sounds perfect for a snow day! 🙂
Thanks! It really hit the spot!
The perfect meal for a snow day! But I see someone is enjoying all that snow ❄️ 😁🥰
Oh, he loves it! He could play outside in the snow all day!