Dustbin Soup - and / or Broccoli and Stilton Soup

Yes, DUSTBIN soup! Which is delicious, unlike its name - so please don't be put off, and read on, read on!

I did debate whether to call it by this name, which is what we call it at home, but not to do so, just wouldn't feel right! It's alternative name could have been "Green and Blue Soup", an allusion to the fact that it is predominately made from green vegetables, and the flavour lifted by a touch of blue cheese. But to calm your beating heart, I've included the suggestion for broccoli and blue cheese soup, just in case you want to serve it to anyone else and have a name for it...

Anyway, I digress. Basically, this is something which happens on a regular basis, especially during the colder months, as a way to make the most out of vegetables which need eating, and also (especially?) to use up tasty parts of vegetables which might otherwise be consigned to the dustbin (hence the name!) - such as broccoli stalks, and asparagus ends.

Broccoli stalks are often thrown away, and yet they're actually really delicious once peeled - either raw and julienned in salads, or cooked in soups, or again julienned (yes, you can't beat a bit of mandolin action!), steamed and tossed in butter with a grinding of fresh black pepper. Asparagus ends are another victim to the bin or compost heap, and yet they too make delicious soup - if they're particularly woody it pays dividends to finish by passing the soup through a sieve for a deliciously smooth and creamy result. Just using broccoli and asparagus stalks alone, and making up to 500g with some cauliflower makes for a delicious, and delicately flavoured soup.

The quantities suggested will give you around 1,400ml of soup, which gives you 7 servings at 200ml per serving (a couple of ladlefuls). If you want a calorie count, just measure what you've got, and divide it into portions to suit you - for the soup below, it's 91 calories per 200ml serving (or 95 calories if you make with 500g broccoli, for a delicious broccoli and stilton soup).

Ingredients

• 500g broccoli OR any 'green' and/or light vegetables, e.g. broccoli stalks (peeled), asparagus ends, other green vegetables that need using up e.g. leeks, celery, courgettes, celeriac, cauliflower etc. - you can include things like spinach or watercress too, just throw them in for the last couple of minutes before blitzing (e.g. the last time I made it, I used 100g asparagus stalks [28], 2 broccoli stalks - 170g [56], 1 leek - 100g [27], 2 small celery stalks - 75g [8], and 55g of cauliflower florets [21] to make it up to 500g) [140 calories for the vegetables suggested - or 165 calories if 500g broccoli, for example, which is delicious!]
• 1 medium onion (approx 100g) [41]
• 1 fat garlic clove [6]
• 1 medium potato (around 130g) [101] or substitute 1/4 of a celeriac (around 170g) [36]
• 1/2 tbsp oil [68]
• 900ml vegetable (or chicken) stock [36]
• 60g blue cheese (e.g. stilton, dolcelatte etc. or vegetarian blue cheese) or more / less to taste [246]
• Seasoning to taste

Method
See below for Thermomix method (in italics)

Chop the vegetables, onion and potato into rough chunks. Peel and half the garlic. Throw them all in a food processor, and pulse into a rough chop.
Put the oil into a large pan, melt, then add the chopped vegetables and sauté for around 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through and very tender (it may take longer depending on how roughly/finely you chopped them).

Once they’re all soft, put into a food processor/blender and blend until velvety smooth – you may find a good hand blender does the job (be careful if the liquid is at boiling temperature – you may want to let it cool slightly first). Add the blue cheese, and blend again then taste it, and add salt and freshly ground pepper until the seasoning suits your taste. If you've used woody asparagus stalks, you may want to spend an extra minute or two passing the soup through a sieve to ensure there are no fibrous bits in it.

Serve – and if desired garnish with a swirl of cream, extra crumbled blue cheese, crispy pancetta or bacon etc. and some nice warm crusty bread, or my Spelt and Honey Seeded Rolls - which you can knock up in under an hour with a Thermomix! Recipe here.

Thermomix method

Chop the asparagus and green vegetables, onion and potato into rough chunks. Peel and half the garlic. Drop the onion, garlic and celery if using onto running blades, speed 4.5

Scrape down and sauté 100C / 5 minutes / Reverse / Speed 1 / MC off. Add the rest of the vegetables, and chop Speed 4 (take off reverse) 10-15 seconds / MC on. Scrape down and add the stock, and cook 100C / 12 minutes / Speed 2 / MC on, until cooked through and very tender.

At this point, I throw a tea-towel over the top of the TM to avoid it spitting / splashing me with boiling liquid, add the crumbled/chopped up blue cheese and blitz at Speed 9 for 1 minute. Taste it, and add salt and freshly ground pepper and blitz again for a few seconds (tea towel on) until the seasoning suits your taste.

Serve – and if desired garnish with a swirl of cream, extra crumbled blue cheese, crispy pancetta or bacon etc. and some nice warm crusty bread - or my Spelt and Honey Seeded Rolls - which you can knock up in under an hour with a Thermomix! Recipe here.