The great thing about running a recipe, shortly after you have written it, is you remember all the ‘little’ tips that helps answer lots of questions! I debated whether to run this new recipe so soon after other soups in the column, but I decided it was definitely worth doing, especially with all the recent snows!
Broccoli, the things I remember the most is how we called it trees, and cauliflower bushes, when our son was starting to eat table food. I also recall how I started out serving both of these fiber filled vegetables with a small drizzle of cheese over the top. Next; you start reducing the cheese at each serving, and go to perhaps a little drizzle of butter, until you are ready to eat it steamed or sauteed.
Our son loved his vegetables so much it was no effort at all and he never asked for the cheese!
What does broccoli bring to us as a vegetable? WOW, it’s probably one of the best out there, my friends. It helps maintain healthy blood pressure, the fiber content helps to regulate the body. The vitamin C and multiple antioxidants boosts the immune system to fight off bacteria. It also inhibits the development of cancer within the body. Not to mention it’s also filled with potassium. That’s enough to convince families to put it in their diet a couple times each week. If I had a large family, I would probably have fresh on hand, and also frozen. Use the fresh the first time and the frozen later in the week, so you aren’t visiting the grocery store too much.
When Dad was still in the nursing home most of the residents would become disgusted by the broccoli served to residents. They never saw the broccoli flowerets, only the hard stems. Now, am I criticizing this? YES, but not from a nutrient standpoint. Actually the stems have just as much nutrient content as the large flowers. The problem is, for seniors and many small children, this is too hard to chew and digest. Actually; the outer rind needs to be peeled to remove the stringy portion before it is served. As I delve into the reasonings for only serving stems I came up with a quick analogy. Perhaps, it is laziness? Why? The stems take longer to cook than the flowers, therefore you must be more attentive in the cooking process. We must start with the stems and then add the flowers towards the end, much like stir-fry. Probably the biggest reason for all the stems is also price. The sad part is broccoli is actually cheaper to purchase by buying the entire ‘bunch’. That’s my sermonette for the day, what’s your opinion on that one?
After I made the broccoli soup I made ‘one’ big decision. Personally; I won’t make it again with the peppers. Though I take reflux meds, the peppers bothered me a bit. You are truly eating broccoli soup, not potatoes or tons of cheese, in this dish. I also think I would enjoy smoking my own cheese and trying it again with smoked Gouda or cheddar combo. Why do I want to smoke it versus from the store? You can actually taste the smoked flavors when I smoke cheese. Commercial smoked cheese tastes like smoked cheese when you eat it on an appetizer tray, but sometimes in a dish it just dissipates. You end up wondering why you spent extra $ on smoked cheese when you cannot taste it.
Take a look at the recipe, and all the additional tips at the bottom. Next week, we will chat about swimming biscuits! Simply yours, The Covered Dish.
Fresh Broccoli Soup
3-4 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
10 baby carrots, chopped fine
2 small red peppers, may omit
16 ounces broccoli, fresh or frozen, broken into small pieces
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon salt of choice
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons dry celery
3 tablespoons white flour
32 ounces chicken stock, I used with salt
3 cups milk, or half n’ half, milk blend, or heavy cream and milk blend
2-3 tablespoons butter
2 cups of cheese of choice, I used part American and part Cheddar mix.
8 – 10 quart stockpot
Place olive oil in stockpot, and sauté onion, carrot and peppers until onions become translucent.
Add all of the broccoli cooking until just tender. I like to work all the spices into the mix now, so it gets worked into the vegetables. When the broccoli is about half-way cooked work the flour into the mixture and add the chicken stock. Allow mixture to cook on medium low for around 15 minutes. Mixture will gently thicken for you.
When the cooking is complete remove from burner and set on cool oven top. Using a submersible blender, blend everything smooth, being careful not to burn yourself. If you don’t own a submersible blender, you will have to let this totally cool, and then place in a regular blender. I was able to keep part of my soup smooth and some with a few ‘pieces’, which the family liked. At this time; stir in the 3 cups of milk, or other dairy mixtures as indicated in recipe. Add freshly grated cheese for the best flavor outcome. Add the butter and serve after the soup has cooled a bit, it truly tastes better after it sets on low a little while.
Points to remember:
1. The carrots and sweet peppers can increase the ‘sweetness’ to the soup
2. Frozen broccoli is rather large, so cut it down in size.
3. Consider green onions instead of regular sweet onions
4. Think about Parmesan cheese instead of the American and Cheddar. If you go this route, remember Parmesan is a bit salty, so you might want to pull the ¾ teaspoon of salt and add it at the end, as necessary.
5. I had concern over the amount of protein in the soup, so I considered adding white northern beans, either whole or blended to the soup. Another idea is to add about a cups of blended cottage cheese to increase the amount of protein.
6. If you put something hot in a blender you risk an ‘explosion’ if the lid is down on the blender. Before I had a submersible blender, I would cool the product slightly and then do small batches in the regular blender and use a hand-towel over the top, not a tight lid.
7. I was striving to make a soup that could be done in only one pot, versus 2 or 3 different steps in different cooking pans, etc.
8. I find myself adding the spices and working them into the main ingredients more frequently versus towards the end of cooking.
9. Fresh grated cheese just tastes better. Cellulose powder is added to pre-shredded cheese to keep it from clumping. This can alter taste and the melt of the cheese.
10. The soup tastes very fresh, not heavy with more cheese and sometimes potatoes.
