Since my parents never grew broccoli in our garden when I was a kid, I’ve never associated it as being a locally-available veggie. Broccoli thrives in cooler climates, so you’ve got to work fast if you’re going to get a taste of the local stuff. I’m lucky; my haul from Fair Shares for the past two weeks has included fresh broccoli from Yellow Wood Farm.

With a bounty this scarce, it’s a damn shame I’m a floret girl. Never been a fan of the stalks and I’ll admit, I’ve always been wasteful with them. Way back when I was in culinary school and we were taught that our restaurants would immediately go broke if we wasted so much as an onion skin, broccoli stalks = broccoli soup. But who wants heavy broccoli soup in June? I set out to make a soup that used those stalks without putting me into a cheese-and-cream heat coma.

Summer Broccoli Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 broccoli stalks and leaves, shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted almonds
• 2 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5.3 ounces plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
• shredded Parmesan cheese

1) Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic, onions and almonds and saute for 30 seconds. Add shredded broccoli. Saute until bright green and fragrant.

2) Add stock and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let carefully place in food processor (if you want a slightly crunchy soup) or blender (for a smooth version) with yogurt. Process or puree.

3) Top individual servings with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Serves four.