Italian Broccoli and Cheese Soup - Delicious Comfort Food

Broccoli soup is typical of Roman home cooking. It is a simple dish with poor ingredients that can be enriched with cheese or cream resulting very tasty and nutritious. It is a fantastic example of #comfort food suitable for the cold season and in particular for family dinners. The recipe that I describe here is fast and can be accelerated further if you use a #pressure-cooker.

INGREDIENTS

(for 4 servings)

2 medium size Italian broccoli
 4 cups of chicken stock
 1 potato

a clove of garlic
 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
 100 g grated parmesan and pecorino cheeses (or cheddar if you like)
 chili pepper to taste
 nutmeg to taste
 salt to taste

 OPTIONAL: a cup of cream to make a richer soup and serve with croutons or toasted bread.

PREPARATION

Peel the potato and cut it into pieces. Also cut the broccoli into pieces and peel the garlic.
 Put all the ingredients except the cheese in a pot or if you prefer, in a pressure cooker. Bring to a boil and, at a moderate flame, let it boil for about 30 minutes until the broccoli is soft, check it with a fork (in the case of a pressure cooker, cook for 15 minutes). Add the cheese.
 Turn off the flame and with a hand blender blend on standard speed until you get a smooth consistency.