Many years ago this delicious vegetarian summer broccoli soup with pistachio nuts started out as a recipe I cooked for kids. Now they have to elbow their way to the front of the queue past the adults.
Way back in the mists of time, taking care of children during the summer holidays was the impetus for me to get into cooking soups. It can be really challenging to cook a healthy lunch for children—especially if some of them are still at that age where they're as likely to paint themselves with their lunch as eat it—but from-scratch soups seemed a good route to go. Sure, I was no angel—"No, honestly we didn't have frozen pizza again!"—and at least soups meant that I could, hand on heart, testify to the nutritional value of what the wee nippers had been fed.
Fortunately no bairn in my care had a nut allergy—though of course you can simply leave them out. Only the nut-crazy (like me) will miss them. But there were a couple of tots (like me as a kiddie) who had notable dairy allergies and would turn into snot machines if even looking at a milkshake. Hence, the yoghurt is only an add-on in the final serving stage, making it conveniently vegan up until that point. And, did I mention those radical vegetarian feminist separatist mothers....? No, kids, Netflix didn't invent "woke". I was doing woke soups when you were still a reference number in a fertility clinic etc.
Yes, this recipe does involve pimentón dulce, which some people find "spicy". You can leave it out entirely if you wish. But millions of kids from Mexico to Myanmar eat spicy food every day and I never had a complaint about it from a diminutive diner. The most vociferous complaint I ever received was from a little girl who told me she couldn't eat green food because she didn't want to turn into a horse. Fair enough.
This recipe makes about 1.2l of soup. You work out how many rug rats have to compete with adults to get the portions right. And, yes, okay, it's slightly over that 30min mark, but it still doesn't take that long to cook.
Shopping list
for the summer broccoli soup with pistachios
2 medium onions (red or brown); diced
3 tbspns olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
Vegetable stock; 1 cube/jelly diluted in approx 500ml boiling water
5 or 6 small-to-medium potatoes, peeled and roughly cut
2 bay leaves
1 tspn pimentón dulce
1 tspn dried oregano
1 tspn dried mixed herbs
1 broccoli, pulled apart into "florets"
4 tbspns roasted pistachios, roughly broken
Salt and black pepper to flavour
for the "condiment" (optional)
250ml organic Greek yoghurt
A clutch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
A clutch of mint, finely chopped
Cooking method
In a saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil on a medium-to-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced garlic and sizzle for 2 to 3mins. Add and sauté the onions until soft and translucent, but not browned. While it's cooking, add the pimentón dulce, salt and black pepper so that it's fully incorporated
Add the potatoes and stir in, sealing with the oil (add a dash more if needed) and juices. Even be prepared for the mixture to "catch" a little; a little "browning" will add to the flavour. Before the potatoes begin to fully cook, add the stock; about 75% of the liquid. Bring to the boil. Add the bay leaves, oregano and mixed herbs. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20mins
Add the broccoli "florets" and the rest of the stock and additional water. Stir and bring to back to the boil. Simmer for another 15mins, stirring occasionally
Add the broken pistachios and simmer for a further 5 or 6mins. Remove from the heat and allow to rest. While the soup is cooling, mix the Greek yoghurt, coriander and mint together in jug or bowl
There is no reason that you can't serve this soup, chowder-style, in this form. But, if you're sticking to the intended potage format, blend the contents of the pot to a smooth, thick mixture using a hand-held blender. Add boiling water until it achieves the consistency you desire
Garnish with the Greek yoghurt (optional) and serve with seeded flatbreads
Alternatives
This is a vegetarian dish by default, vegan if you don't "dress" it with yoghurt. Many years after I first thought it up, when I realised that grown-ups liked it a lot, I found that replacing the yoghurt "dressing" with a spicy raw tomato salsa was a very good move. And, obviously, vegan.
Pairings
Like I said, this started out as a school holiday lunch meal for kids. So, despite what you've heard, I wasn't exactly plying them with chablis. No, that came later when the adults got in on the act: yep, it's really good with a chablis as a summer starter (but what isn't?)
Other wines I've found work really well are rieslings with a very strong hint of a bubble and even—gasp—a decent crémant d'Alsace. There's something about bubbles that is a great contrast, cutting through that thick green pastiness of it all. Santé!
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