Broccoli soup experiment update

This week, I repeated the broccoli soup experiment at work to use up the broccoli stem pieces and broccoli buds left over from prepping the big box of broccoli. I discovered that my estimate of the amount of soup created by my original recipe was WAY off. I think I meant to write six servings and not six quarts. It made about two quarts. Nowhere near enough for a restaurant, so I repeated the recipe with broccoli florets standing in for the broccoli stems. Here's the final write-up of the recipe as it turned out at work:

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Potato and Cheddar Cheese

2 pounds broccoli stems
2 pounds broccoli florets
2 cups broccoli buds
5 or 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
10 cups chicken stock
10 cups whole milk
2 tsp black pepper (we didn't have white pepper, which I would have preferred)
9 to 10 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp butter
salt to taste

Cook broccoli stems, potatoes and onion in stock until starting to get tender, add broccoli florets and cook until tender. Make a not-so-smooth puree with an immersion blender. Add milk and pepper and heat through. Add broccoli buds and cheese and butter and stir until cheese is melted. Season with salt to taste.
Yield: 4 or 5 quarts

This amount still isn't enough to last through a busy lunch day, but it's something we could start with. The way this would work in the future as a broccoli-stems-only soup would be to save up stems and buds from 3 or 4 boxes of broccoli (both freeze well), then make a double batch of this soup recipe (minus the florets) when eight pounds of stems have accumulated. Otherwise, it could always be a stems-and-florets recipe as above, made after every other box of broccoli.

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Work at home: the broccoli soup experiment

After a couple of rounds at work of turning a 20-pound box of broccoli heads into a box of pretty florets, I got concerned about the waste that arises from this task. I mean, everyone likes the florets best, but there are still pounds of good, edible broccoli in those stems that are going in the trash. Chef says we don't keep them for other dishes, and I was distressed at tossing out so much food.

At my last job, we kept vegetable leavings in the freezer until we'd accumulated enough for stocks, and the broccoli stems were kept separately for making broccoli soup. I mentioned the idea of making broccoli soup from trimmings to my current chef and she invited me to take the trimmings home to experiment with.

The amount of broccoli coming through our kitchen is not huge, probably giving us enough trimmings to make broccoli soup once every couple of weeks, unless we made smaller batches and served it more often.

This week, I tried my first recipe for this experiment:

Broccoli Stems Soup
approximately 6 quarts

about 2 pounds broccoli stem pieces (just the tender stems, tough woody parts cut off)
1 cup broccoli buds (the tiny little green buds that end up all over the cutting board when I'm cutting broccoli florets, which I scooped up and saved separately)
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
4 cups water
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp ground white pepper
5 cups unsweetened soy milk (I'd use dairy whole milk if I were at work)
1 Tbsp butter (I added this for finishing after tasting the first time, not necessary if using cheese)
optional: 2 cups shredded cheddar or cubed American cheese
vegan option: use 4 cups vegetable stock instead of chicken bouillon with water and use margarine as the finishing fat

Boil vegetables in water until tender. Puree in blender. Add milk, bouillon, pepper, butter and simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli buds during last minute or two of cooking. Add salt if needed. Stir in cheese until melted (if using) or pass cheese at table as a garnish when serving.

Notes to self: don't add the milk and then go knit in the next room and forget about the soup. It was foamy on top when I got back because it hadn't been stirred and had boiled. Also, don't forget to add the pretty green broccoli buds next time.

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