Peel 1 medium-sized onion and roughly chop it. Warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep saucepan, add the onion and stir occasionally while it softens and turns translucent. You don’t need it to colour.
Roughly chop 400g of potatoes (you can peel them if you wish). Let them cook with the onions for 5 minutes, then pour in 1.5 litres of good vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat so the cooking continues at a simmer. You can introduce a couple of bay leaves if you wish. Season with a generous grinding of salt, then simmer for 20 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft enough to crush with a spoon, trim 400g of broccoli and break into small heads, cutting the stalks into thick coins. Stir into the soup and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Transfer the soup to a blender, taking care not to overfill it (I never more than half fill a blender jug), then process to a thick soup. Pour back into the saucepan and stir in 2 heaped tsp of dark miso, cook for 1 minute or so and then taste. Add more miso if you wish. Serves 4. Ready in 45 minutes
I like to hold back a few sprigs of broccoli to add to the soup as I serve.
I have used dark miso here. If you have the light, slightly sweeter white miso paste, then you may need to add a little more. Taste as you go along.
The broccoli stalks have much flavour; don’t be tempted to throw them away.
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