Broccoli and Ham Soup: Not Split Pea!
Soup
Ingredients
2 cups (448g) chicken stock or broth (recipe)
1 large (840g) bunch broccoli, including stalks
2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
1 lb (454g) ham or Canadian bacon, cut into strips
1 tsp (2g) fresh oregano, stems removed and chopped
1 1/2 cups (357g) cream, heavy whipping
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Place the chicken broth into a soup pot, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Peel the large stem end of the broccoli, removing and discarding the outer fibrous layer.
Cut the broccoli head into small bite sized florets. With the stems, cut into bite sized pieces, as well. Set aside.
Preheat a large sauté pan. Once hot, melt the butter over high heat. Quickly, add the broccoli, ham and oregano, before the butter burns. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sauté over high heat, until lightly browned and the broccoli is somewhat soft.
Add most of the broccoli-ham mixture to the chicken broth. Leave roughly 20% in the sauté pan, on the side, as a garnish, when the soup is complete.
Add the cream to the chicken broth, broccoli and ham. Cover and bring to a simmer.
Once it simmers, puree the hot soup in a blender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If soup is too thick, add more chicken stock or cream to adjust the consistency.
Distribute the soup into 8 soup bowls, adding the warm garnish to the center of each soup bowl.
Jamon!