Roasted Broccoli Soup with Spiced Pepitas
/It's that time of year in the San Francisco Bay Area where the Spring weather is done flirting with its warmth to remind us that we're still a couple months away from the middle of summer!
When it's overcast, windy, and even a little nippy (okay really only at 5am in the morning), I don't want to do almost anything. But cooking soup is always something that I can motivate myself to do.
Because I wasn't motivated enough to come up with my own recipe (inspiring sunshine, where are you?), I decided not to reinvent the wheel and share with you a delicious roasted broccoli soup from Serious Eat' recipe arsenal. It's comforting, warm, and has all of those comforting roasted flavors that you need to keep you going on a gloomy day!
Roasted Broccoli Soup with Spiced Pepitas
Adapted from Serious Eats
Time: 1 Hour
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 lbs broccoli, stalk trimmed and heads cut into florets
10 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander seeds, divided
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 quarts homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
Kosher salt
1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Zest of 1 lemon
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss broccoli with 2 tbsp olive oil and spread in an even layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Transfer to oven and roast until broccoli is tender and browned, about 25 minutes.
In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add roasted broccoli, buttermilk, and just enough stock to barely cover vegetables. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Working in batches if necessary, transfer vegetables and liquid to a blender. Starting on the lowest speed and gradually increasing to the highest speed, blend broccoli until a smooth puree forms. Drizzle in 4 tbsp total olive oil while blender is running and return to a clean pot. Add as much of the remaining vegetable stock as necessary to thin to a creamy soup consistency. Season to taste with salt.
Meanwhile, lower oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, toss pepitas with 2 tablespoons olive oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, cumin, mustard seed, and turmeric. Season with salt. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Scrape toasted spiced pepitas into a mixing bowl and stir in parsley, lemon zest, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Warm the soup, then spoon it into bowls. Top with spiced pepitas and some of their oil. Serve immediately.
