Despite the fact that it has been a little warmer out lately, I have still been craving soups and I recently realized that it had been a very long time since I last made one of my favourite soups, a broccoli and cheddar soup. The broccoli and cheddar flavour combination is a really good one that I never tire of reinventing in different dishes but this soup is one that I keep coming back to again and again. Since this soup is so simple it is a good idea to use quality ingredients including roasted broccoli, a nice homemade vegetable broth or chicken broth a nice quality aged cheddar. Roasting vegetables concentrates and brings out their flavours and the intensified broccoli flavours from the roasted broccoli goes beautifully well in this soup. This roasted broccoli and aged cheddar soup is super easy to make and yet it is so bursting with flavour that it is bound to satisfy! One last thing that I like to do with this soup is to add a tablespoon of grainy mustard which goes particularly nicely with the broccoli and cheddar flavour combination.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4
A creamy broccoli and cheddar soup with the concentrated flavour of roasted broccoli.
ingredients
1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon oilsalt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or chicken stock or ham broth
1 1/2 cups aged cheddar, shredded
1 cup milk or cream
1 tablespoon grainy mustard (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
directions
Toss the broccoli florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper, arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the broth and broccoli, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Mix in the milk, cheese and mustard, let the cheese melt and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor or blender and enjoy!
Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2 & 3, place everything but the milk and cheese in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 2-4 hours before mixing in the milk and cheese, letting the cheese melt and then pureeing the soup.
Option: If you like a thicker, creamier and healthier soup use pureed white beans instead of the milk or cream.
Option: Start the soup out by cooking 4 strips of bacon, use the grease to cook the vegetables instead of the oil and serve the soup garnished with the crumbled bacon.
Option: Add diced ham.
source:http://www.closetcooking.com/
