Smoked broccoli soup with crispy panko-fried cheddar cheese, topped with crispy prosciutto and leeks is the best comfort food recipe out there.
Smoked Broccoli Soup with Crispy Fried Panko Cheddar, Prosciutto and Leeks
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Food:
Smoke
Cuisine
Soup
Serves:
2 to 3 people
Prep Time:
15 min
Cook Time:
40 min
This recipe is a twist on the classic broccoli cheddar soup. If you’ve ever had a good broccoli cheddar soup, you know that it’s rich and creamy and a pure comfort food dish. The broccoli is smoked to add a nice light smoky flavour to the soup, and instead of the cheese being incorporated into the soup or just sprinkled on top, this recipe makes cheesy, crispy, gooey cheddar cheese sticks for dipping in that delicious smoked broccoli soup. Top it all off with crispy prosciutto and fried leeks and you have one insane bowl of soup. This recipe can also be made completely vegetarian if you omit the crispy prosciutto on top, so it's perfect for the whole family.
Enjoy!
By:Chef Matt Basile
Ingredients
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2 to 3 large heads broccoli
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2 heads garlic
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1 small Spanish onion
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1 leek, white part only
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1 lemon
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Salt
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Pepper
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3 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
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473ml Whipping cream
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½ cup butter
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3 eggs + 1/4 cup water
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280g Balderson Old cheddar cheese
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1 hot chili pepper
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4 slices prosciutto
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1 ½ - 2 cups flour
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2 cups panko
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Canola oil for frying
Instructions
Set smoker to 375F.
Roughly chop your broccoli and place in a cast iron pan, drizzle with canola oil and put in the smoker. Cut the tops off of the two heads of garlic and place in the smoker, cook for about 25-30 minutes or until softened and charred.
Meanwhile, cut your onion in half. Using the white part only of the leek, finely chop about 1/4 of the stalk and set aside. Place the rest of the leek and the onion on the plancha and drizzle with oil, cook until softened.
Melt your butter in a cast iron pan on the plancha and once melted, squeeze in the juice from one lemon.
Add oil to a pan on the plancha. Once hot, add in the chopped leeks and cook, stirring often until golden. Remove and season with salt, set aside.
Chop your chili pepper and place on the plancha. Chop your fresh basil and set aside.
Remove the broccoli from the smoker, squeeze out the garlic into the pan. Add your onion, leek, chili pepper and chopped basil to the broccoli then transfer it all to the bowl of a blender. Add in the melted butter with lemon, cream and salt. Blend until smooth.
Add your prosciutto to the plancha and allow to crisp up, 1-2 minutes.
Cut two large pieces of cheddar cheese. In separate bowls, add flour to the first one, then three eggs beaten with water to the second and panko breadcrumbs to the third one. Toss the cheese in the flour, then egg mixture, then panko. Repeat between the egg and panko until there is a thick coating. Add the breaded cheese to the pan of hot oil and fry, turning occasionally until golden brown.
To plate, transfer the soup into a bowl. Season with pepper. Add the crispy prosciutto and leeks on top and serve with a panko-crusted cheese stick.