Day After Mardi Gras Soup

It's the day after Mardi Gras. The beads are swaying gently from the doorknob or scattered across the floor. You're dehydrated, lying in bed (because moving is painfully disorienting), and wondering if drinking enough hurricanes to get a complete set of glasses was as good an idea as it seemed. 

You need care. You need comfort. You need soup.

Soup rehydrates. It's doesn't require much chewing or complicated knife skills. It's warm, and the bowl feels comfortingly solid in your hands.  This soup is very simple, contains lots of healthy veggies and vitamin C, and has a bright note from the lemon to cheer you up and remind you that being alive isn't all that bad.

Notes:

• The soup calls for pureeing half of it, which gives the liquid a pleasant body. You can skip this step altogether if you prefer it chunky, or puree the whole thing, if you want it smooth. It's flexible that way.
• This could easily become vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
• The lemon juice really makes this soup. Don't leave it out.

Broccoli, Lemon and Parmesan Soup

Serves 4-6 (Source: Food 52 )

• 2 pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup parmesan
• juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli well and set aside.

Yes, it's blurry. I thought I had it and didn't take a back up shot. Mea culpa.

2. Put the pot back on the stove. Add the olive oil and garlic to the pot over medium heat. After a minute or two, when the garlic starts to soften and turn brown, add the broccoli.

3. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for about an hour. Stir every once in a while to keep it from sticking and to ensure even cooking. The broccoli is done if it is soft enough to yield when you press it with the back of a spoon.

4. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium high heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree half the soup in a blender/food processor/ a bowl with a stick blender (depending on equipment).

 5. Stir the puree back into the soup. Stir in the parmesan.  Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. (I don't specify the amount of salt because parmesan and stock are both salty ingredients, but if you really want to know I used about a teaspoon.)