Broccoli Cheese Soup

Somewhere in my travels I picked up a thin volume called "Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection Soups". It's a strange book in that it has no copyright or printing date, just Periplus Edition, printed in Singapore. It's one of a series on home cooking put out by Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.

A week or so ago I'd made steamed broccoli and carrots with hollandaise sauce for a family dinner. The broccoli was fresh, purchased from Kroger's and the stems were huge, so I just used the green florets for the dish and kept the stems for soup.

This weekend I decided to make the soup and went on the hunt for a good recipe. I truly despise the broccoli cheese soup you get in restaurants. It is so thick and pasty, reminds me of eating a bowl of cheese gravy.

The Le Cordon Bleu cookbook didn't have a broccoli cheese recipe but it did have a cream of cauliflower soup that I thought could be adapted for the broccoli.  The soup is obviously meant for a first course so it is delicate in flavor.  I added a little celery because I had some that was going to go bad soon and some Tabasco sauce - just a little, and of course grated cheddar cheese (a grated cheddar blend from Kraft) and was pleased with the overall dish. It wasn't too thin or too thick, but if it does get too thick you can thin it with a little broth of milk. This would be good served along side a hearty ham or roast beef sandwich as it would warm you and taste good but not over power the sandwich flavors.

Cream of Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 cups chicken stock

2 cup whole milk or 2% if you must, but no lower fat content

the stocks of three large heads of broccoli, peeled and rough chopped, two make two cups

1 small onion, peeled and rough chopped

1 rib of celery rough chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

few drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)

In a medium sauce pan saute the onion, celery until they are softened but no brown. Add the chicken stock and the broccoli stems and gently boil until the broccoli is tender. Remove from the heat and puree the vegetables with an immersion blender or a regular blender or food processor.

In another medium saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook the flour and butter together for a minute to cook the flour. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the milk.  Stir in the cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is melted.

Pour the cheese mixture into the broccoli mixture, stir well to blend and season with salt and pepper and Tobasco if desired.  Garnish with herbed croutons, Serves 6.

I didn't have any herbed croutons and wasn't in the mood to make any, but I did have a box of White Cheddar Cheez-its.  I sprinkled a handful of them on the soup and was perfectly pleased with the result. Enjoy!