Blackened Broccoli Bisque

Blackened Broccoli Bisque is warming comfort food on a cold day – incredibly flavorful and rich, this is a satisfying bowl of veggies, no cream!

Portland is still enjoying perfect summer temperatures, warm to hot in the daytime and cooling off considerably at night. While this soup will be perfect come winter (wow, when did I start sounding like Little House?), we are enjoying it now as well.

Heck, I enjoyed it for lunch the other day, with the air conditioning on.

On the first day of vegan fusion class, we made soups. The soup I was assigned happened to be one of my favorites, a broccoli bisque. It was garnished with shiitakes, my favorite mushroom. There were some other aspects of the soup that made it unique, but what I am focusing on is the hearty flavor of the shiitake.

In lieu of a garnish, I made it an ingredient in the soup. It definitely adds a hearty depth of flavor that really makes this soup amazing! I did also add shiitake as a garnish, along with tamari and sesame.

Blackened Broccoli Bisque

dairy, soy, and gluten free, vegan

inspired by Vegan Fusion, adapted from asparagus pepper bisque

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
warm water for soaking
5-6 trees broccoli, chopped / broken into florets
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced, plus extra for garnish
4 cups vegetable broth
sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup tamari, plus extra for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Place cashews in bowl with warm water, set aside.

Arrange broccoli on foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle sea salt, bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, turning halfway through. To blacken / crisp further, broil for 3-5 more minutes, watching closely. Remove from oven and set aside.

In stockpot over medium heat, sauté onion, celery and garlic in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Add broccoli, shiitakes and broth, reduce to simmer (15-20 minutes).

Transfer broccoli mixture to blender (in batches if necessary), add (drained) cashews and puree on high until smooth. Return to pot to keep warm.

Season with tamari, salt and pepper. Serve warm, garnish with shiitake, tamari, sesame seeds.

This is savory and hearty with amazing flavor – even Jason loves it – he is not a broccoli fan!