Homemade broccoli cheddar soup.
I know this beautiful head of broccoli does not look like comfort food... but just wait.
Cut off the head of the broccoli and discard the stems.
The recipe didn't call for but I also took a handful of crimini mushrooms, chopped them up to add to the pot. I think mushrooms should be added to everything. Mushroom icecream anyone?
I usually add a bag of thinly sliced carrots but I did not have any of those so I just chopped up a couple handfuls of baby carrots. Add a chopped up onion along with your broccoli and mushrooms and sautee in 2 table spoons of butter until the veggies are really tender. This is the part the recipe does not tell you to do. If you skip this step it takes at least an hour for the veggies to get tender and there will be a distinct broccoli carrot taste that will overtake the other spices and cheese.
Wisk together 1/4 cup of flower with 2 tablespoons of butter and then add 2 cups of half and half. The recipe calls for 2 cups of chicken stock but I use vegetable stock so that its vegetarian. Taste just as good. continue whisking through all of that then let it simmer for 20 min. Add in your tender veggies and let it simmer for a few more min to make sure the strong veggie taste has been cooked out. Pour batches of this into a blender and mix. I usually do not mix all of it so that there are couple of big pieces of broccoli in the soup. Once it has been mixed put back in the pot and add your cheese!
The recipe calls for two cups of graded sharp cheddar cheese but I usually add more because I like it to be really cheesy. Add 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Cut a french baguette into slices, not slicing all the way through and add the most amazing spread from Joy the Baker in between the slices, wrap in ten foil and place in your oven until it smells amazing! It is 3 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil (I use garlic olive oil. AMAZING!) and 3 tablespoons FRESH (very important if the caps didn't give the hint well enough) grated Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Mash all of this together with a fork and spread in your bread. It is heavenly. One of the best things I have ever put in my mouth.
Here comes the fun part!
I promise you, this will be one of the most amazing things you will ever place in your mouth. Even if you don't like broccoli...
*If I am making this for more than two people I usually double the recipe. I even tripled it one time and that fed five people.
View the entire recipe here.
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