There is a tarantula in my broccoli soup

Last Saturday at the Crescent City Farmer's Market, we got a soccer ball sized clump of broccoli. Enormous and leafy the head of the broccoli could have used the stalk as a baseball bat. Some of the broccoli ended up stir fried with some garlic, chilis, and meyer lemon juice. But the remainder of the orb stayed in the fridge until last night.

We had some leftover turkey meatloaf that I quickly browned in a saute pan. The broccoli needed to be used. As i began to cut the stalk away from the flowering buds of broc, a baby tarantula* emerged from the leaves as surprised to see me as I was to see him. He was detached down the drain with a calmness not often found in shrieking people.

I began by steaming the broccoli, but soon realized this would be boring. I had about a cup of chicken stock, so I brought that to a boil. After the broccoli finished steaming, I put in a blender with a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (which proved to be too much), a tug of butter, and some salt. Add the chicken stock and pulse 3 times; then puree for about a minute longer than you think you need. The soup should be creamy with texture, but not gritty. You could strain it, but only if it is a first date.

What results is the creamiest, most soul satisfying broccoli soup you will ever eat. There are easier ways to do this as well. Just blanch broccoli in heavily salted water and add a small amount of the water to the blender. I know it sounds weird, but you dont need much else to make a luxurious broccoli soup.

But I did add a little shaved Parmesan and a drop of olive oil to make a "broccoli and cheese soup." And putting things in quotations is hip.


* No confirmation on the actual species is available at this time. But it was black and hairy and tarantula-esque.

***********************************UPDATE FROM PETER**************************
I have received the following updates from Peter via a cellular phenomenon known as text messaging.

Yesterday 3:19 CST "A light snack just now you know that the Pope never skips a meal. Headed to Opus in 2 hours for the first tasting . Kind of overcast today. But you know it never rains in Tiger Stadium or the French Laundry."

Last night 9:53 pm CST "I might never come home."

In case you are wondering what they ate last night. And I am pretty certain, they did not pass on the foie gras course.