Broccoli and blue cheese soup

1. Melt butter in a medium pot over high heat.
2. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add broccoli and broth and cook, covered, until florets are tender, about 7 minutes.
3. Spoon out 1 cup small florets and reserve.
4. Add 75g blue cheese, salt, pepper, and cream to the pot. Purée soup in a blender until very smooth.
5. Divide mixture among 4 bowls. Garnish each with reserved florets, a sprinkle of remaining Castello Blue cheese, and a few croutons.

Recipe Tips:

• Cream is optional in this recipe. Adding it in will make your soup much tastier, richer and creamier, but you can substitute it for milk if you don’t have it on hand (or if you’d rather keep the calories down!).
• If you are using a traditional blender, blend in two batches then allow your soup to cool before you blitz it to avoid any soup explosions! We recommend using a stick blender instead if you have one handy.
• There is no specific brand of blue cheese that needs to be used in this recipe. Try to avoid any super hard blue cheeses as they might not melt quite as easily. We love Castello Blue because it has great flavour with a creamy texture that melts easily into the soup.

FAQs:

• Is this recipe suitable for vegetarians?
  • Yes! Just make sure you use vegetable stock/broth rather than chicken stock if you are planning to cater to vegetarians.
• How long does broccoli and blue cheese soup last for?
  • You can keep this soup in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for around 3 months.
• What should you serve with broccoli and blue cheese soup?
  • For a great accompanying dish, we love this Tomato and Fresh Herb Focaccia or Alice Ardnell’s Basic Bread recipe. Of course, if you are pushed for time, a New World bakery bread would also do the trick!