Broccoli Cauliflower soup

My friend Magdalena and I have been wanting to make yummy soup together for a couple of months now. The fact that she lives in Germany has not deterred her. "We'll just make it together over Skype," she proclaimed optimistically. Though the interweb can do wondrous things these days, I don't think they have created smello/tasto-vision apps yet. Fortunately, Magda came for a visit a couple of weeks ago, and enhanced the soup-making process in a way no fancy technology could have done. Here is our recipe for sage tempura and broccoli-cauliflower soup below. Köstlich!

Simple Sage tempura:

A few handfuls of sage leaves

Dip leaves in a paste of flour and water (it should be pretty soupy) then

fry in oil until crispy, about 5 min. each side. Soo good, and you

can do it with other herbs and veggies, as long as they're cut flat and thin.

For broccoli and cauliflower, cut really thin.

Creamy Broccoli-Cauliflower soup

It will be blended at the end, so no need to make your chopping super-neat.

1 large onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium heads broccoli, chopped

1 head cauliflower, chopped.

1 cube vegetable bouillion

3-4 cups water

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk (optional)

1/2 cup fresh-grated parmesan (optional)

red pepper flakes or paprika if you've got it

fresh herbs (parsley, sage, mint? take your pick)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onions and garlic in an aluminum soup pot until translucent. Add broccoli and cauliflower and cover to steam it a little, about 5-10 minutes. Stir every few minutes to prevent burning. Add a tsp or so of pepper flakes and paprika.

Add veggie bouillion cube and water, just enough to cover the veggies.

Let water come to a boil, then lower to simmer. When veggies seem pretty soft, turn off heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Blend with a hand-blender, or put in a blender to process.

Blend until creamy, but still with some yummy broco-cauliflower chunks in there.

Add fresh chopped herbs, parmesan, and 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk if that's your thing.

Feel virtuous that you are eating your cruciferous vegetables.