BROCCOLI & BLUE CHEESE

Broccoli and blue cheese is a flavour pairing that just seems to work! Despite the fact both ingredients have fairly assertive flavours individually, when combined like this the final product has a delicious, surprisingly mild flavour. Makes 4 large servings.

Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter) 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves) 2 medium to large potatoes (about 400g), scrubbed

2 cups vegetable stock (or 2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder combined with 2 cups water) 500g broccoli ¼-½ cup cream cheese ½ cup milk blue cheese to taste (up to 50g) extra milk (½-1 cup) salt, to taste (about ½ teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1-2 tablespoons basil pesto (optional)

Heat the oil in a fairly large pot. Add the onion and garlic and stir to mix. Cook gently with the lid on, without browning, while you cut the potatoes into 1cm cubes.

Add the potato cubes and stock to the pot, cover again and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop the heads off the broccoli and cut them into 15-20mm pieces. Peel the broccoli stalks from the bottom, then cut the peeled stems into 5mm slices. Add the prepared broccoli to the potato mixture, cover and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender but still bright green.

Purée this mixture in a food processor or with a stick blender. Add the cream cheese (the larger amount makes it richer), then add ½ cup of milk. Add the blue cheese in teaspoon-sized lots, processing and tasting after each addition, until the soup has the strength of flavour that suits you. Add extra milk until the soup is the desired consistency, then season with salt, pepper, and add pesto for extra flavour, if desired.

At this point you can cool the soup and refrigerate for serving later. Otherwise reheat but do not boil and serve immediately, topped with a swirl of cream or sour cream.