So much for swine flu, there’s a head cold doing the rounds of Melbourne which is intensely irritating. It’s swept though chez KP leaving a trail of snot and grumpiness behind it. I decided to chase it away tonight with a very vegetable soup. I made it in the thermomix but it could easily be made on stove top with a stick blender or food processor to puree.

I know that the theory with the thermomix is that it doesn’t need to be any bigger because it’s so quick. I don’t care. I want it twice the size. So I’m always challenging its capacity. This recipe took it right to the brim. It’s possibly a minor miracle that I didn’t spill a drop.

Potato, leek, cauliflower and broccoli soup with blue cheese.
1 leek
1 large (or 2 small) potatoes
800ml water
1 large (or 2 small) head broccoli
1/2 head cauliflower
3 tablespoons stock concentrate
3 tablespoons flour
200g blue cheese
400ml milk

1. Peel and roughly chop potato and leek. Place in thermomix with water.
2. Cook for 10 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1
3. Add 1/2 the broccoli and cauliflower, roughly chopped. Puree for 10 seconds on speed. Add the remaining broccoli and cauliflower and puree for another 10 seconds on speed 6.
4. Add stock concentrate and cook for 5 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.
5. Add flour, milk and crumbled cheese. Cook for a further 5 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 3.
6. Puree for another 10 seconds on speed 7 or longer until desired consistency is reached.

With a freshly baked loaf of bran enriched bread, this made wonderful dinner for a convalescing household. Until, in an unrelated incident, Lil Miss through hers at her brother. That’s just the joy of three year olds. Who said it was the twos that are terrible anyway?