Velvet Vegetable Soup

1 Head broccoli

4 c Rough chopped * any

1 c Onions, chopped

1 lg Baking potato, scrubbed

And diced 3 c Packages Herb-Ox low

Salt chicken stock 2 tb Olive oil

1 Stalk cellery, chopped

1 Carrot, chopped

Salt, Pepper, 1/2 ts Thyme,

Tarragon Saute onions, carrots and celery in large pot with oil. Saute until translucent, then carmelized (turns light brown. Add chopped vegetables, water to cover vegetables. Add chicken packets, stir in thyme, and pepper and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Place in blender a cup or so at a time. Puree each batch and empty into large bowl. Rinse pot, replace soup mixture and again bring to simmer again for a few minutes, stirring occassionally. Note: At this stage, we allow the mixture to sit until it cools slightly and divide the soup into 3 equal portions. The soup freeezs excellently and we do that with 2 of the portions. Variations: Place the basic soup into a pot. Simmer and bring to a boil. Add a quarter cup of milk either regular or skimmed) and bring to boil again. To add texture to the mix, add diced potatoes and carrots. *Serve with a pinch of dried tarragon*. A a dollop of no fat yogurt adds additional smoothness. If desired, substitute 1/2 cup of cooked fucilli instead of the potato. You may also substitute frozen corn or peas. From "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen", William Morrow and Co., Inc, NY, 1984, p. 88.