CREAMY BROCCOLI-
PARMESAN SOUP
This creamy soup relies on the thickening and emulsifying
power of a roux—cooked flour and butter—to give it a
creamy consistency without the need for heavy cream,
which can dull flavors. For a long, long time, drab army-
green vegetables got a bad rap, but I’m trying to bring
sexy back to thoroughly cooked broccoli (and green
beans). There are definitely great things to be said about
snappy, bright green stalks, but the flavor that develops
when broccoli is cooked to well-done is unmatched by that
of its al dente counterpart. A touch bitter, a hint of sulfur
(in a good way), and a rich, grassy depth all emerge as
the stalks soften.
The only downside here is that waiting for broccoli to
soften this much can be a tedious process that takes up to
an hour or more. But there’s an old trick that the English
use to make their traditional fish ’n’ chips side of mushy
peas: add some baking soda to the water. Baking soda
raises the pH of the liquid, causing the pectin that holds
the cells of the broccoli together to soften. Just a tiny
pinch is enough to cut simmering time down by two-thirds.
To add some depth to the soup, I toss in a handful of
anchovies (you can skip them for a vegetarian version), as
well as a good amount of grated Parmesan, whose nutty
tang plays nicely off the deep flavor of the broccoli. A