1largeleekhalved lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch half moons
sea salt(sea salt has mineral content)
2tbsp misoorganic, dissolved in 4 cups hot water (Miso = fermented soybeans, pro-biotic effects)
1/4cupbasil pesto
1/4cupgreek yogurt wholeorganic (same rationale as the butter; also you want whole not reduced fat because the fat soluble vitamins – e.g., K2 – are in the fat!)
Optional
3-4cupschicken or vegetable stock(instead of miso)
1largered onionorganic, diced (instead of leek)
To garnish
2tbspyogurt
olive oilextra virgin
pinchchilli flakes or cayenne pepper
Instructions
Cut the florets off the broccoli stalks and set aside. Trim any brown spots off the stalks, halve lengthwise if thick and slice ¼-inch thick.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks, broccoli stems and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often until the broccoli stems are just starting to become tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and 3 cups of the stock. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and the florets are just tender, about 5 minutes more. The goal is to keep the soup bright green and for the broccoli to keep some of its texture, so take care not to overcook it.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the basil pesto and yogurt. Puree with a hand blender until there are no large chunks of broccoli or leek. Add a little more stock if you’d like your soup a bit thinner. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Notes
For most pureed soups, I like a super-smooth texture so I puree them in a blender. I puree but never strain; for a healthy gut/digestive system, you want the fiber! For this soup, I prefer a more rustic texture so I opt for my hand blender and don't process it for very long.If you don't have a hand blender, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender. If you go this route, take care not to fill your blender jar more than ⅔ full, otherwise the steam from the hot soup can blow the lid off your blender. Getting burned by hot soup is no fun–trust me on this one.