Velvety Sprout & Broccoli Soup with Garbanzo-Sesame Crackers

Ingredients

Brussels Sprout & Broccoli Soup

• 1/2
  
  pound Brussels sprouts, quartered lengthwise, loose outer leaves reserved separately (about 1/4 cup)
  
• 1
  
  medium Yukon gold potato, diced
  
• 2
  
  medium yellow onions, diced
  
• 3
  
  cups broth; I used chicken but vegetable is also fine
  
• 1
  
  large head broccoli
  
• 2
  
  cups almond-cocounut milk (or any other milk alternative)
  
• 4
  
  tablespoons olive oil, separated
  
• 
  
  Salt and pepper
  

Garbanzo-Sesame Crackers

• 1 1/2
  
  cups gluten-free flour mix, predominantly garbanzo bean flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
  
• 1/4
  
  cup toasted sesame seeds (if gluten-sensitive, check to be sure your brand is free of traces of gluten)
  
• 3
  
  tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon flaky salt, such as Maldon
  
• 
  
  Water
  

Directions

Brussels Sprout & Broccoli Soup

1. Trim florets from 1/3 of the broccoli head, cutting them into small pieces. Dice the stem, and finely dice the remaining head and florets, giving you a heap of tiny buds. Set broccoli aside.
2. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a Dutch oven until shimmering. Add quartered Brussels sprouts (not the loose leaves) and cook until just browned on the outside. Remove and let drain on paper towel. They won’t be cooked through yet, that’s fine.
3. Add the diced onions and potato, as well as the 2 cups of broth. Taste for salt, as some broths are saltier than others, and add 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a strong simmer and cover. Let cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until both the onion and potato are fully cooked through.
4. Using an immersion blender, purée the onion/potato/stock mixture until entirely smooth. (Alternatively, blend in a standard blender in two batches, making sure to leave plenty of room and hold the top on with a towel. Return the base to the Dutch oven.)
5. Add in the milk alternative, the broccoli, and the Brussels sprouts, and bring to a simmer. If you like your soup a little thinner, add additional stock or water until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until sprouts are cooked through and tender.
7. While the Brussels sprouts cook through, fry the outer leaves. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a medium saucepan. Once shimmering, add the sprout leaves, moving constantly to fry evenly. They will splatter; I held my slotted spoon over the pan. Once they have mostly browned, remove with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel to drain.
8. Once the Brussels sprouts in the soup are cooked through, ladle the soup into mugs and top with a small portion of the fried Brussels sprout leaves and – if you’re like my dad and me – a few cracks of black pepper.

Garbanzo-Sesame Crackers

1. Heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and both seeds. Slowly drizzle in water, about 1/4 c at a time, just until dough comes together. If it becomes runny or too soft, add more of the flour mix until dough is stiff.
2. Roll out dough as thin as possible – thinner means crispier and less tough! I suggest rolling it out on waxed paper to make the transfer onto the baking sheet easier.
3. Transfer rolled dough to a greased baking sheet. Score into cracker shape (be it square, rectangular, whatever you like), brush lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle on flaky salt. Press lightly to set the salt on the crackers.
4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, checking after 10. Since they’re so thin, they take a watchful eye in case of renegade ovens.
5. Once they’ve turned a light brown, remove from oven. Break into scored cracker shapes and serve alongside the soup. Enjoy!