Garlicky Creamy Broccoli Soup

This picture doesn't exactly scream excitement, but neither does broccoli soup.  It's simple, easy and a great recipe to have on hand on a day when you have no idea what to eat and a head of broccoli is sitting in your fridge.  That's exactly the situation I found myself in the day I made this.  B came home from work not hungry, but I still wanted dinner.  He had declared that this would be "yuck" and didn't want it, so I decided to make it for myself.

The most interesting thing I learned while making this is that there's a basic ratio for "cream of" soup.  It's 3-2-1.  3 parts stock, 2 parts vegetable, 1 part dairy.  I upped the vegetable part a bit and still found this to be on the thin side, but it's really tasty.

And baby lady was rocking back and forth in her high chair trying to get at it, she loved it that much.

Serves 4 as a first course soup, or two as a main dish

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. broccoli florets, chopped fine and divided
3 1/2 c. vegetable stock
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 c. whole milk
salt and pepper to taste

How:
Combine 2 c. of the broccoli and the stock in a saucepan and simmer, covered until the broccoli is just tender, about 10 minutes.  During the last minutes of cooking, add the garlic.

In a separate small saucepan, combine the 1/4 c. broccoli with the remaining 1/2 c. stock.  Simmer until the broccoli is tender.  Set aside.

Puree in a blender, probably in batches unless your blender is enormous, until very smooth.  Stir in the milk and reheat gently, but do not boil.  Season to taste and serve.

adapted from The Minimalist Cooks at Home by Mark Bittman

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