Creamy, Dreamy, Broccol-y Soup

 I bought some fresh veggies for crudites, last weekend, and then realized there was already a superabundance of food, so the broccoli, in particular, sat in the refrigerator crisper, calling out recriminations for its neglect, until… 

 SOUP WEATHER ARRIVED!

 FTR, this is a quick, easy, but definitely not low-fat option.

Broccoli Cream Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 or 3 fresh leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried) basil
pinch dried rubbed sage
pinch dried crushed thyme

2 cups chicken broth plus 1/2 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon* 
1 bay leaf
4 cups fresh bite-sized broccoli florets

1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1/4 inch slabs  (or smaller) and brought to room temperature

ground white pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add onions, cook until transparent. Stir in herbs and set aside.

In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan, bring chicken broth, bouillon powder, and bay leaf to a boil. Add in broccoli, allow to return to low boil, then reduce to low heat.

Remove bay leaf. Stir in onion/herb mixture.

In small mixing bowl, soften cream cheese (I often give it 20 seconds in the microwave).

Heat milk and buttermilk (saucepan or microwave – your choice) until just simmered, but do not boil. Pour about 1/2 cup of this into the cream cheese, and whisk until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture, continue to stir. Pour this mixture into the saucepan, add the cream, and stir until completely mixed.

Allow to return to low simmer, remove from heat, and serve.

*I'm notorious around here for using this stuff in many of my recipes, including dips and sauces. I can get away with using less salt & still get full flavor. If you prefer fewer additives, substitute salt & pepper to taste– or you don't want the extra sodium, Herb-Ox makes a very nice alternative. It isn't a "must add" item, but it gives a nice balance.




 

Cod Pieces (because I HAD to go there)

Sometimes I wish I weren't allergic to crustaceans. There are days when I crave crab cakes the way some people crave chocolate doughnuts, but the prospect of anaphylaxis puts a damper on my desires.

This  is not to say I can't eat fish in general – in moderation. With that in mind, I occasionally do my best to cheat the system. I hunt down a simple enough crab cake recipe, and substitute a tender, sweet fish.

This week, I found Cod.

I found it in the freezer at ALDI. I also found I have a superabundance of Old Bay seasoning blend, big scallions growing in a flower pot in the laundry room, some eggs, a mess of almond flour, several jars of Duke's mayonnaise, and a half-pound chunk of Parmesan cheese. Add to that, there are, perhaps, a dozen different recipes for fish cakes and crab cakes in my files (hard copy and digital), none of which was exactly what I was looking for (especially as calls for breading and other fillers), leading me to make stuff up as I went along. Sort of.

To be fair, I've done variations on this theme before, but usually with canned fish of one sort or another, and a mess of lemon juice (and no cheeses). I like it better when there's fresh fish or fresh-frozen fish factored in, for F's sake.

So, let us eat cakes.

Cod Cakes (Big Cod Pieces!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
2 lbs cod filets, baked or steamed, allowed to cool
2 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup finely chopped scallion greens
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning blend


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Prepare a large well-greased non-stick baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup Parmesan cheese and all the almond flour. Separate 1 cup to stir into fish mixture, and put the remaining portion of this in a shallow dish.

Break apart cod filets into large chunks.

In a medium bowl, lightly mix together eggs, mayonnaise, scallions, and Old Bay seasoning.

Add in 1 cup of almond flour/Parm mix and all the fish chunks, and gently stir, breaking up larger chunks of fish – be careful to avoid over-mixing (I do this by hand. You get a better sense of how large the chunks will be, and it's also surprisingly therapeutic).

Divide mixture into 12 equal portions, forming each into a ball. Roll in reserved almond flour/Parm mix, place on well-oiled baking sheet, and gently press into flat patties about 1 inch thick.

Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup grated cheese over top of patties.

Bake 15 minutes, or until top is golden-brown.

Allow to stand & cool about 3-5 minutes before serving.

These can be fried in butter (or a small amount of oil), as well, but that's a more labor-intensive operation, fraught with risk that the cakes will fall apart before you can get them to the plate. Also, there's all that extra grease…