SERVING 8

A bowl of soup is always a welcome treat whatever the weather, be it hot or cold. As a matter of fact, soup, creamy and full in body, can be a whole meal, and is most certainly very sufficient for a small, informal social gathering of well-nigh any kind. Here is a simple, but wholesome and tasty one that can be prepared almost on the run.

The soup
2 cups / 480 ml medium size carrots, chopped
3 medium sized tomatoes
1 medium sized onion
8 mushroom buttons
2 cups / 480 ml potatoes peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves
Unsalted vegetable stock
1 head of broccoli (added later)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Start with the vegetables. Peel the carrots and cut them into rather small pieces. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and slice the onion. Chop the mushrooms into not so large bits and then slice the peeled potatoes. Put all the sliced and chopped vegetables into a pot along with the cloves of garlic and pour in unsalted vegetable stock enough to cover the vegetables and float them. Now put the pot on the stove, bring the contents to a boil and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the broccoli as soon as it is ready (see the recipe below). The vegetables should be soft and tender, but not over-cooked. Finally, using a hand blender, mix up the cooked vegetables in the pot, turning the soup into an even, creamy blend. Stir in some salt and pepper to taste.

Broccoli crème fresh
1 head broccoli
1 cup / 240 ml sour cream
2 tbs chopped chive
Half a lemon
Salt and pepper

Now, take the head of broccoli. Cut it in half and remove the stem. Gently slice the very top off the buds and put the green grains aside. Chop up the rest of the broccoli up and add it to the vegetables in the pot. Pour about a cup of sour cream into a small bowl and add the green broccoli grains. Stir the grains in with the sour cream. Add the chopped chive and the juice from half a lemon. Mix everything together thoroughly, seasoning the blend to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilled bread
1 bread (baguette)
4 tbs olive oil
4 tbs chopped parsley
1 cup / 240 ml feta cheese

Cut the bread into medium thick slices and put them on a parchment-paper-covered oven sheet. Dribble the olive oil over the slices of bread. Scatter the chopped parsley on top of the bread. Finally put some feta cheese on each slice of bread, and then place the oven plate in the oven to grill the bread.

Serving
When serving the soup, pour it into bowls, put a liberal dab of broccoli crème fresh in the middle of each bowl and then put a slice of the grilled feta-cheese bread in, too, leaning against the dab of crème fresh. This is an inviting arrangement and a most savory dish.