Soups : Broccoli with Cream Cheese

With the temperatures dipping further down,the only thing comforting is a hot bowl of soup. A recently purchased book on Soups coaxed me to try some new soup recipes. The Broccoli and Cream Cheese soup proved to be a good choice to start as it ranked high on our health and taste quotient.

Ive followed most of the recipe from the book. Only alterations made was i increased the amount of rice and decreased the cheese added.

Ingredients:
14 oz broccoli ( from 1 large head)
2tsp butter
1tsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, finely chopped
5 tsbp of rice ( recipe said 3)
5 cups of water ( adjust according to desired thickeness)
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 oz cream cheese ( recipe said 3)
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
croutons to serve


Method:
Divide the broccoli into small florets and cut off the stems. Peel the large stems and chop all the stems into small pieces.
Heat the butter and oil . Add onions, leeks and carrot. Saute for abt 5 mins.
Add broccoli stems, rice, water, bay leaf and pinch of salt. Bring to boil and then simmer covered for abt 15 mins. Then add broccoli florets and continue cooking covered for another 15-20 mins till rice and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.
Stir in the cream and soft cheese. Season soup with nutmeg, pepper and check for salt. Simmer for few more mins.
ladle into warm bowls and serve with croutons.

We had this soup with a russian salad made by my Armenian friend. The bright maroon salad with beans, potatoes, onions, beets and pickles was a perfect compliment for my creamy broccoli soup. The rice added made the soup very hearty.