With a few free hours at end, before work or school, I decided to fish out a good recipe that I have been meaning to post up for a while. With the weather turning down a notch and winter right around the corner, there's simply nothing better than to curl up on the couch with a warm blanket and a hot big bowl of soup. For my first recipe, I would like to credit James Peterson and his book, "Splendid Soups" from where I got this recipe..

slow cooked broccoli soup with garlic and olive oil (makes 8 servings)

2 large bunches of broccoli, about 3 pounds
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp freshly chopped thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
salt
pepper
toasted slices of french bread
finely grated parmesan cheese

cut the florets off the broccoli and again into smaller pieces so that each floret is about an inch in diameter. cut off and discard the bottom 2 inches of the stems. Peel the remaining stems and slice them as thinly as you can.

combine all the ingredients except for the salt, pepper and cheese in a 4 quart pot. bring the soup to a simmer, cover it, and turn the heat down low enough to keep the soup at a slow simmer. simmer for about an hour.

stir the soup with a spoon to break up the broccoli and season it with salt and pepper. serve slices of toasted bread at the table and pass the grated cheese.


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hope it turns out lovely for you guys, be sure to leave comments. May this winter continue to give us the blissful opportunities to try out new recipes and enjoy them in the chilly cold.