eat your damn broccoli soup

Sorry no video for this one. It's pretty straightforward. I made this soup the other night, and it was pretty darn good and easy, so I thought it was worth writing up for you. When I made this soup, my 5-year-old was super mad that dinner wasn't hot dogs or spaghetti, so he engaged in like a 20 minute meltdown over the fact that I told him this was the only available food.

I think we may have (definitely) set a bad precedent until now, having backup meals at the ready if he didn't eat the regular food I was making. I decided to end that practice, so when I told him this was the only dinner, he did not take kindly to it. 

However, after putting himself through massive emotional strain OVER GODDAMN SOUP (a soup that happens to be all kinds of delicious, mind you), he reluctantly sat down, and leaned over the bowl of the, now lukewarm, soup. And through his tears, and sobs, and dramatic whimpering, he meekly said, "It smells kind of good." Then he ate the whole fucking bowl, and begged for more. Kids, whattayagonnado?

Serves 4 to 6

1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
8 cups broccoli florets, plus an additional 10 florets for garnish
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cubed
4 cloves garlic smashed
6 cups chicken-style stock
1 1/2 cups whole raw cashews
3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1 to 2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
1 tablespoon high heat oil
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a pot or Dutch oven to medium. Add onion. When the edges of the onion get browned and begin to stick to the bottom, deglaze with a touch of water. Continue cooking and stirring 8 to 10 minutes, adding a touch of water when necessary to prevent sticking. Onions should be lightly golden and tender, but not fully dark and soft like a caramelized onion - somewhere in between raw and caramelized. 

Add the broccoli, potatoes, garlic, stock, cashews, and milk. Bring to a simmer (not a hard boil because that makes the broccoli stinky), and cook 10 to 12 minutes until broccoli and potatoes are tender.

Stir in the pesto, and transfer everything to a blender (in batches if necessary) and blend until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender, and blend it right there in the pot. Return to pot, season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm.

For the seared broccoli garnish:
Cut broccoli florets in half so there is one flat side. Season generously with salt and coarsely cracked pepper.

In a skillet, add oil and heat on high. Place broccoli, flat side down in the pan so they sizzle. Sear 1 to 2 minutes until browned. Turn them over, and add a tablespoon of water to the pan, then quickly cover. Let steam for one additional minute.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with broccoli, then artfully drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over top. Done.