Broccoli Buttermilk Soup

Broccoli is precious this season on San Juan. Across the island, the story seems to be the same: broccoli just isn't doing too well this summer; perhaps the plants didn't like those few blazing days in mid-May, but somehow yields aren't up to their usual levels.

So if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some delicious broccoli this season, you may just want to savor the flavor with a light steam or a quick saute in olive oil. But if you find yourself with some extra on your hands, this soup is a great way to celebrate.

1 lb broccoli, cut into 2'' pieces
3/4 lb potatoes, cut into 1'' cubes
1 medium sized onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Synergy chicken stock
1.5 tbsp butter
2 cups water
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt (depending on the saltiness of your stock)

optional: 1 tsp tarragon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Heat butter on medium-high in a 3-quart (medium sized) pot. When hot, add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent and your kitchen smells divine, about 5 minutes. Add in broccoli and potatoes and saute in the pot for another 3 minutes. Add in chicken stock and water; they should just about cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until your vegetables are tender.

Turn off your burner and remove the pot from the heat. Uncover your pot and let the vegetables 10 minutes. In a blender, process the soup in three batches to your desired consistency, pouring each batch into a new pot as it's finished. We generally like to leave some small bits and chunks to make the soup a little heartier.

Put your new pot back on the burner and heat on low. Add in your nutmeg or tarragon if desired. Pour in buttermilk slowly, stirring well. Bring soup just to a simmer, then turn off and serve.

Cream and Parmesan Broccoli

Creamy, but hard to photograph, broccoli with parmesan and nutmeg.

Adapted from Gourmet.com

1 lb broccoli
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Coarsely chop broccoli florets and stem pieces. If stem is thicker, peel then chop. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Simmer cream, garlic, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper in a medium saucepan, uncovered, until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup.

Add broccoli and simmer, mashing with a potato masher, until coarsely mashed and heated through, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and lemon juice. Grate more nutmeg on top for a garnish when serving.

Coddled Eggs and Something Green

Chard and Kale and Coddled Eggs make a generous lunch for one.

1/2 lb of leaf greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc.) cut into ribbons
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a saute pan. When hot, add the greens and stir to coat and season with salt and pepper. Let cook until just beginning to wilt, stirring occasionally. At this point, crack two eggs on the top of the layer of greens and cover with a large lid. Turn the heat to low and let the greens continue to cook and the eggs steam, or coddle, about three to four minutes till the whites are firm. Slide out of the pan onto a plate, give the eggs a shake of pepper and salt and dig in!

One bunch of rainbow chard cut into ribbons.

Crack a couple eggs on top of just beginning to wilt chard.

Cover and walk away for a few minutes.

Ta-Da! The chard is cooked, the egg whites are firm, and inside the yolks are still gooey.

Variations:
This also works with broccoli cut into bite size pieces. I used about 1/3 pound of broccoli, and a tbsp of butter instead of olive oil, though I had to toss in about a quarter of a cup of water into the pan in order to steam the broccoli before it started to brown too much.

Broccoli and Coddled Eggs.