Cream of Broccoli Soup

I roasted some broccoli the other night, (it seems that is how I cook all my veggies anymore) and decided to use the stalks for soup. I worked for a caterer once who did that and I thought what the heck. I had a couple of bunches, so I saved a few florets, peeled the stalks and prepared it the next night. I used the Joy of Cooking version for the most part, with some different spices and less broccoli. The recipe calls fro 1 1/2 pounds, I had 1. The soup turned out great, though. I Served it with meatloaf sandwiches. Vegetable broth could be used in place of the chicken broth.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

4 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. granulated toasted onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. broccoli, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
salt,pepper and smoked paprika to taste

Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Add granulated onion, garlic and broccoli. Cook for 5 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add flour, turn heat to high and slowly stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes, until broccoli is tender. Process with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in cream, heat through but do not boil. Add seasonings to taste.