Broccoli Soup

March 1st

Eppie, our troll did not see his shadow

4 more weeks of winter!

Souper Family - Sam, Will, Jamie & Stacey

This week we have Souper Stacey and family making Broccoli Soup with us. This is Will's favorite soup. Stacey has always had a love for food and cooking; she become an expert cook and learned her culinary art at the Connecticut Culinary Institute. When ever I have a cooking question or need a food subsitute for a recipe, she has the answer! This soup has a thick body and rich flavor derived from pureeing the soup. Not only is it nutritional, but it's delicious. I know you will enjoy it!

Broccoli Soup

Souper Stacey, Jamie, Sam & Will

Souper Sarah

The Broccoli Soup has a hint of Spring with it's green color. The soup makes a perfect cold winter meal with it's full body and rich texture.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6-8
1 small onion coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups celery - chopped
6 broccoli - stems and flowerets

- chopped separately
1/4 pound cheddar cheese - shredded
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and-half
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons thyme
salt
white pepper

1 - Wash broccoli, separate flowerets and stems. Cut, blanch and save about 2 cups of the flowerets for garnishing the soup. Coarsely chop the rest of the broccoli for the main base of the soup.

2 - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large soup pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery and brocoli stems: cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft. About 10 minutes.

3 - Add rest of butter (4 tablespoons) and let melt. Stir in flour for roux and cook until blended.

4 - Add chicken stock and thyme and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

5 - Leave the soup to cool slightly. Pour into a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour soup back into pan.

6 - Add half-and-half to pan. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Reheat slowly after adding blanched flowerets for about 10 minutes.

7 - Serve soup hot and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

Separate flowerets and stems

Bowl of flowerets

Good job - Sam washing the celery

Should we put this carrot in?

Cooking vegetables until soft

Cutting the butter - Great job Will

Add flour for making the roux

Add chicken stock and thyme -

simmer 10 minutes

Pour into food processor

and puree until smooth

Add half-and-half and season to taste

Bowl of shredded cheddar cheese

Soup topped with cheese

Serve hot

How long do I have to wait to eat?

Fresh fruit served with soup

We served the broccoli soup with fresh fruit and sweet potato oven fries with avocado dip. The best part about this soup is the melted cheddar cheese! It was sooo decilious that many of us had 2 bowls!!


We used the herb thyme to season the soup. Thyme is a good source of iron and is widely used in cooking to flavour meats, (pork tenderloin) soups and stews (beef). The thyme is slow to release it's flavors, allowing it be added early in the cooking process. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a souce of courage. In the European Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares."Wikipedia" This is my favorite herb and I used it quite often.

Stacey made a roux when making the soup (step 3 in the directions) and here are her pointers in making a great roux. Use equal amounts of butter to flour and use cold liquid when adding to the hot roux. Thanks for the great cooking techniques! There isn't anything better than having your family with you and cooking together. Thank you souper family!!


The thought for the week -
Spring is coming, make it a point to heed your need for solitude.

Happy souping until we meet again!
Souper Sarah