Stilton and Broccoli Soup

Continuing with the winter warming soups, this one is based on a recipe from Alwyne Broome. I've made it to my taste but that's the beauty of soup, you can adjust the recipes to suit what you've got in the larder.

4 Servings

15g butter

1 medium onion sliced

1 medium head of broccoli cut into small pieces

150g wedge of Blue Stilton

900ml light vegetable stock

1 dsp flour

squeeze of lemon juice to taste (about ½ tbsp)

Cream for garnish

Parsley for garnish

Salt and black pepper to season

1. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat.

2. Add the onion and cook over a low heat, covered, for 5 minutes without browning.

3. Add the broccoli and cook (covered) for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent the vegetables from browning. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple more minutes

4. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Blend until smooth and simmer again.

6. Turn off the heat  and crumble in the Stilton, stirring constantly while it melts.

7. Squeeze in some lemon juice to taste (I find this just tones down the richness of the cheese but don't overdo it).

8. Serve in warmed bowls, garnished with parsley and a swirl of cream accompanied by fresh bread rolls .



The Photograph
This is a very simple lighting setup which works well I think. There is a 60cm softbox to the left of and at 90° to the table and a similar sized reflector in a similar position opposite. The seamless white backdrop is overexposed by 1½ stops by two wide angle slave flashes. There are two polystyrene block reflectors to the right of  the lens lifting the shadows on the right of the bowl.