I know that I just wrote a blog post about the importance of eating orange and yellow squashes, and root vegetables this time of year. I was all set to keep working on some squash recipes for this week, but then I had a huge broccoli craving. In honor of all the amazing flavor and nutrient load that broccoli has to offer, here is a little something I whipped up on broccoli craving night.

Broccoli Caraway Soup 
Ingredients

• 3 large heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, sliced into ribbons
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 T olive oil
• 2 T caraway seeds
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• Optional: cheddar cheese to garnish, salt + pepper to taste

Fill a medium soup pot with a steamer insert with 1.5 inches of water and bring to a boil. Roughly chop the broccoli heads and most of the stems into large chunks for steaming.

Remember this is going to end up as a puree. The initial chopping does not need to be pretty. Put half of the broccoli in the steamer or if you have a pot big enough, then by all means, steam all three heads at once. Steam the broccoli for 10-15 minutes, until it just can be pierced with a fork.

While the broccoli is steaming, add the onion slices to a skillet with the caraway seeds and olive oil. Sauté the onions for 7-8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic about halfway through to avoid over cooking it.

When the onions are done (and your first batch of broccoli, if you need to do two rounds of steaming), fill a large soup pot with chicken or vegetable stock and water. Add the onion, caraway, and garlic mixture to the stock and bring the stock to a boil. Add the first batch of steamed broccoli to the stock mixture so all the flavors can start to mingle.  Start the second batch of broccoli steaming.

When the stock mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to simmer. After about then minutes when the second batch of broccoli has finished steaming, add it to the rest of the soup. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the broccoli is very tender.

Transfer the soup in batches to a blender. Puree on high until smooth. Continue in batches until all of the soup is pureed.

Dish up into bowls and serve.  Some people like the soup as is, but you can also garnish each bowl with a touch of salt, pepper, some shredded cheddar cheese, or just a drizzle of some delicious olive oil.