Broccoli and Dolcelatte soup – I can almost here the question mark – shouldn’t that be stilton?  Nope.  Try it. It works!

I tried something similar to this soup in a pub recently (the Kings Arms at Boxley). It was so delicious that I called the pub a few days later to see if they would tell me how they’d made it and was delighted that they gave me their recipe, or at least the ingredients – I’m pretty sure they made it in much larger quantities!

The recipe below isn’t quite the same as I’ve added in herbs, pepper and garlic and also think that I have probably used more dolcelatte. It is however absolutely delicious. The surprise element for me was the addition of the peas, so much better than the usual potato.

I think broccoli and dolcelatte soup rather than stilton gives a much creamier, less pungent finish. The cheese is quite salty enough for me so I didn’t season at all other than the white pepper. I’d suggest that you adjust for saltiness after you’ve added the cheese if you prefer more seasoning, particularly as the cheese can vary so much in flavour.

You’ll need quite a large pot for this one.

Ingredients

1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets and stem sliced (woody end removed)

1 large onion, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (stems too)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

200g frozen peas

1.5 litres vegetable stock

200g dolcelatte, crumbled

Method

1. Sweat the onion in the olive oil until transluscent, then add in the garlic and white pepper and cook very gently for a further minute or two.
2. Pour in the stock then add in the peas, broccoli and herbs and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for a further 15 minutes.
4. Using a stick blender, puree to a smooth soup. If you don’t have a stick blender, then let the dish cool before transferring in batches to a food processor or jug blender.
5. Bring the soup back to a very gentle simmer then add the dolcelatte and stir through until melted with a wooden spoon.