Broccoli, Stilton and Bacon Soup

Last week I found myself with an excess of Broccoli in my veg box. A quick search of soup recipes revealed a few variations on Broccoli soup, but that sounded a bit bland to me. Further searches found Broccoli & Stilton which sounded better. However, after eating a Stilton & Bacon sandwich at work, I thought why not combine Broccoli, Stilton and Bacon. And so, we have the experiment. It may not sound overly appealing, it certainly doesn’t look heavenly, but the taste is definitely a winner for me.

125g streaky smoky bacon, chopped into small cubes
40g butter
1 red onion, finely chopped
500g broccoli heads
600ml vegetable stock (home made is preferable but today I used vegetable Boullion powder)
60g Stilton, crumbled into small pieces

Using a non-stick pan, fry the bacon without any fat until it starts to crisp.

Add the butter, melt, and then add the onion. Gently fry until it softens. Add the broccoli, and mix well to coat with the buttery mixture. Cook gently for about 2 minutes, and then add the stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, and blend the mixture to a smooth purée.

If you are eating the soup straight away, then return the mixture the pan. Gently heat, stirring continuously as you add the cheese pieces. Once heated through, serve.

If you are preparing the soup to eat later, then you can add the cheese pieces to the mixture whilst it is still in the blender. The mixture should still be warm enough to melt the cheese, and you can blend further to ensure that it completely mixes.

Serve the soup with a swirl of single cream and / or some crunchy bacon pieces.