A good use for the older, tougher specimens. I have made this with those plastic-entombed bunches from the late-night corner market and you would never have known it.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 6

　　a medium onion

　　butter – 2 tablespoons (30g)

　　smoked bacon – 7 ounces (200g)

　　potatoes – 3 smallish

　　chicken or ham stock – 6 1/2 cups (1.5 liters)

　　broccoli, purple sprouting or other dark calabrese – 10 1/2 ounces (300g)

　　milk – 2/3 cup (150ml)

　　

Step 1

Peel the onion, chop it coarsely, and soften it in the butter in a deep pan. I never let it color, preferring to keep it pale and translucent. Stir in half the bacon, snipped into short lengths (keep 6 short pieces for later), then the potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces. Let the ingredients marry with as little color as possible, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil, adding salt and pepper as you go. Decrease the heat so that the mixture simmers gently for 15 to 20 minutes or so, until the potatoes collapse against slight pressure from the back of a spoon.

　　

Step 2

Introduce the greens, trimmed of any exceptionally tough stems, and simmer for 10 minutes. The greens should still live up to their name. Pour in the milk, simmer briefly, then process the mixture in a blender until smooth, checking the seasoning as you do so. Broil the remaining bacon until crisp, then serve the soup in warm bowls, each with a piece of crisp bacon on its surface.

　　Tender