Cream of Broccoli Soup

A lovely green soup packed with vitamins and flavor.

Yield	4-6 servings
Time	45 minutes
Tools	Dutch oven or large saucepan Wooden spoon Blender or food processor
Ingredients	2 T butter 1½ c onion, chopped 1 bay leaf 1 t salt 1 bell pepper, diced 4 c broccoli, chopped 2½ c veggie stock or water 2 c milk ½ c sour cream ¼ t allspice pepper dash of thyme ½ t basil 1 c broccoli florets, sliced and steamed (optional)
Directions	Melt butter in the Dutch oven, then sauté onion and bay leaf with salt over medium heat until onion is clear, about 5-7 minutes. Add bell pepper, broccoli, and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is well cooked. Discard the bay leaf and purée the soup in batches. Stir in sour cream and spices, bring almost to a boil, top with optional florets, and serve.
Notes	Adapted from Molly Katzen’s New Moosewood Cookbook – read my review. Buy it: Amazon.com \| Amazon.co.uk
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