Broccoli Soup, Biscuits & Gravy

Broccoli Soup
Had a double batch of broccoli that I wanted to use, but didn't want the usual steamed, stir-fried, baked-and-cheese covered fare.  When I settled on soup, I didn't want a cream soup with chunks of broccoli either.  This one filled the bill, and was really delicious.

4-5 stems of broccoli, chopped into florets
6 cups water
1 White Onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small Thumb of Ginger, minced
1 Tbsp Pride of Szged Fish Rubtm spice blend
1/4 cup Half & Half
1/4 Cup Mascarpone Cheese
Garnish

Cook onion soft, adding the garlic and ginger.  Add the broccoli and 6 cups water.  Spice.  Simmer 15-20 minutes until the broccoli is done but not mushy.

Remove the broccoli from liquid, and put it in your food processor.  Discard all but 3/4 - 1 cup of liquid to help in the puree process.  Puree the broccoli and then return it to the pot. 

Add the half & half and cheese.  Stir to combine and taste.  Adjust the spice as desired (a touch of Cajun spice or a small amount of red pepper flakes does not go amiss here).  Simmer for another 15-20 minutes to marry everything together.  Don't thin this down with water, you want a thick, rich soup, not green water...

Serve with a nice crusty baguette and a dollop of sour cream, skyr or Greek yogurt.


Biscuits & Gravy
My Dad's favorite breakfast (or dinner, for that matter) was Cream Dried Beef on Toast, a dish he learned to enjoy while in the Navy during WWII.  Of course soldiers and sailors never called it that; we called it S.O.S.  "Stuff" on a Shingle.   Biscuits & Gravy is the Southern iteration of this iconic American dish.

3 Ingredient Biscuits
Also known as Soda Biscuits or 7-Up Biscuits.

2-1/2 cups Bisquick(tm)
1/2 cup Sour Cream, plain Skyr or plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Lemon-Lime Soda or Ginger Ale or Club Soda
Flour for Prepping the work surface

Preheat oven to 425F.  While that's happening:

Combine the baking mix, sour cream and soda into a soft dough.  Liberally flour your work surface.  Turn the dough out on it, top with a bit more bench flour, and knead, flouring as you go, until it comes together without being a sticky mess.  I often use a spatula for this rather than fingers.

Pat the dough out about 3/4" thick and cut your biscuits out with a 2-1/2" or 3" round cutter.  Makes about 6 biscuits Place the biscuits on a baking sheet., and bake for 15 minutes and they will be GB&D.  

Gravy -- a.k.a. White Sauce With Meat
2-3 Tbsp Butter
3-4 AP Flour
1/4 lb Bulk Sausage
1/4 tsp White Pepper
2 cups Half & Half or Milk

Brown the sausage in the pot where you'll make the gravy.  Keep the flavor (spelled g.r.e.a.s.e.) in the pot and remove the meat for now.

Add to the pot 2 Tbsp butter and melt it.  To that, add 3 or 4 Tbsp of flour and stir to combine.  You'll end up with a greasy lump of flour.  Break up the lump and cook it for a couple minutes to remove the floury taste.  Don't let it start to brown.  Add about 1/2 cup of the dairy and whisk to break up the flour/butter lumps.  Keep whisking and adding the dairy and pepper.  Then, as the white sauce comes to a boil, add the meat.  Whisk and simmer until the gravy reaches the consistency you like.  Ladle over the hot biscuits and serve

Yamil, a recent guest at our AirBnb listing had Biscuits and Gravy for his birthday breakfast. 

I made it extra special with an edible candle holder!! 

Photo compliments of Christine Gagnon.