Broccoli, Potato & Caramelized Onion Soup

As I was on a roll yesterday with making my leek & potato soup, I decided to use up the broccoli that has been residing in my fridge for a week! Luckily I had chopped and frozen potatoes from my CSA share into 2, 4 and 8 cup portions so it was easy to pull this soup together! This recipe comes from my favourite vegetarian cookbook: "The New Vegetarian Epicure", by Anna Thomas.

BROCCOLI, POTATO & CARAMELIZED ONION SOUP

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs broccoli (approx 6 cups of chopped broccoli)

3 onions, roughly diced

salt, to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

2 1 /2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 large potatoes (approx. 1 lb), peeled & diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

3 cups water

4 cups homemade vegetable stock

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 1 /2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% milk

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Generous pinch of cayenne pepper

• Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions and saute with a sprinkle of salt, until golden.
• Combine the potatoes and celery in a large soup pot with the water and stock and approx. 1/2 tsp salt if needed (if it's a homemade stock you might want to as homemade stocks are never seasoned).
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for approx. 10 minutes. Add the chopped broccoli and sauteed onions and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in the lemon juice and puree the soup either in batches in the blender, or using an immersion blender in the soup pot. Don't overprocess as the texture should be somewhat rough.
• Melt the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp butter in a skillet and stir in the flour. Cook this roux for a few minutes, stirring constantly, till golden. Whisk in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring or whisking till it thickens. Whisk in the mustard and the cayenne and add the white sauce to the soup.
• Bring the soup back to a simmer, taste and correct the seasonings with more salt and pepper, mustard or cayenne.
• You can garnish the bowl with small florettes of steamed broccoli, or a swirl of sour cream!
• ENJOY!!!