Most soups, especially vegetable ones, can be made in about half an hour and most of that time is just simmering so you can be doing something else while it cooks. The two unusual additions to this soup are tahini and lemon juice and you can definitely taste a little nuttiness. Tahini is often one of those ingredients you buy for a specific purpose – making hummus, most likely – and then it languishes in the fridge until the next time you make hummus. I am finding that it has other uses. In this instance it is a thickener. I have also made a sauce with it (see my recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with a Tahini Sauce). Try mixing it with yoghurt as a spread. Make a salad dressing with it. Use it instead of a nut butter. Anyway, I digress – here is my soup recipe.
1 tbsp. olive oil seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 a large onion – diced
2 cloves of garlic – grated
2 heads of broccoli – cut into florets
2 cups of chicken/vegetable broth
5 oz. baby spinach
2 tbsp. tahini paste
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Heat the oil in a deep skillet and, when sizzling, add the onion and let soften but not brown, so turn heat down a bit, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
Tip in the broccoli and pour over the broth.
Bring to a boil, cover with lid, turn down heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until broccoli is cooked.
Add the spinach, stir in and let it wilt.
Transfer the soup mixture bit by bit to a food processor, adding the tahini and lemon juice at the end.
The result should be a nice, bright, slightly flecked soup.
