Broccoli Cheese Soup

One of my favorite vegetables is broccoli....I have always liked it and luckily for me, so do all of my kids.  Well, Tyler isn't a huge fan, but he'll eat it without too much complaining aside from the initial, "Oh man, not broccoli".  The "Mom Look" is usually the only "response" needed which telepathically sends the message, "Please do not complain about the meal I have spent an hour cooking you especially when there are kids in other countries who are starving and would gladly take your seat at this table" to him.  It's green which is not only my favorite color, but also means it's healthy (it has Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium and is a good source of fiber).  I probably make it at least once a week.  Whenever it's on sale I always buy fresh.  I think frozen broccoli is just as tasty as fresh, but the problem is that the bag of frozen cut broccoli is almost completely full of pieces of nasty broccoli stems with maybe a few florets thrown in.  My family doesn't like the stalk all that much because it has such a tough texture.  So I end up buying the more expensive bag of delicious broccoli florets.  Unfortunately, the florets are sold in 12 oz bags which is barely enough to give each person a serving.  Last week, the frozen florets were pretty much the same cost as the fresh, so I threw one in my cart. 

So, I bet you're wondering why buy the fresh when it has a huge stalk on it?  Didn't I just say that my family won't eat the stalk?  Well, let me tell you.  Up until a few months ago I found no use for the nasty stalks and would just sadly pitch them in the trash.  I HATE throwing food away.  I was watching the cooking channel and the lady was using some broccoli in a stir fry dish.  She cut the stalks off, set them aside and said, "I'll turn these into soup for lunch tomorrow".  Wow...why had I never thought of this before?!?!? GENIUS!! 

Although the stalk is tough on the outside, if you peel off the tough outer layer, the inside is nice and tender and still tastes like broccoli.  So, now I always turn my stalks into delicious broccoli cheese soup, which just happens to be in my Top 5 favorite soups of all time.  This time, since I had opted to eat leftovers the night I made spaghetti, I had the added bonus of some leftover florets thrown in!!  If you don't have any florets, no worries...it's still creamy and delicious!  This soup could easily be made as a cream of broccoli soup if you omit the cheese.  You could also easily substitute another vegetable if broccoli isn't really your thing.  Cauliflower, potato, celery, mushrooms or any combination of those vegetables would probably be quite tasty!!  So here's to you, Mr. Nasty Broccoli Stalk....thank you for shedding your tough exterior and allowing me to see your tender (and might I add delicious) side.

Broccoli Cheese Soup:

Leftover broccoli stalk, peeled and chopped

Leftover broccoli florets (if you have them, if not, that's okay too)

3 tbsp butter

1/3 c onion, diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 c milk

1 c shredded cheese (I used colby-jack this time.  Really any cheese would work.  You could also use more or less cheese depending on how cheesy you want it, or like I said, none at all if you just wanted a cream of broccoli)

    

Using a potato peeler, peel off the tough outer layer of the stalk.  For the smaller pieces I used a knife to trim.  Using a peeler for this would have probably resulted in the removal of my skin, which is not an ingredient in broccoli cheese soup!!

Chop the peeled stalk into small pieces.

Boil the broccoli stalk pieces in a small pan of boiling water until soft.  Mine simmered about 10 mins.



Drain broccoli pieces and place in a food processor with 1 cup milk and, if you have them, half of your leftover broccoli florets.  I used a mini processor so I did it in 2 batches (half the broccoli and 1/2 c milk each time).



Puree until smooth, transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.

Chop remaining broccoli florets into small pieces.

I had a chunk of cheese I needed to use up, so I grated it using a box grater.  Feel free to use the pre-shredded kind, I won't judge, but I think shredding your own tastes better.  The pre-shredded kind has additives to keep it from clumping together as well as something to prevent it from molding.  If you don't believe me, next time your at the grocery store compare a package of chunk cheese with the pre-shredded kind.  You might be surprised!!

In a saucepan, melt butter.  Add the diced onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Saute until the onions are soft, about 5 mins.



Make a roux by adding the flour and cooking another 3 - 5 mins, stirring constantly.

The finished roux.  This will make the soup nice and thick!!

Add the pureed broccoli mixture and remaining 2 cups milk.

Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until soup starts to thicken.  Add in the chopped broccoli florets at this time if you have them.

Stir in the shredded cheese, stirring until melted.

Lower heat and simmer, stirring until desired thickness is reached.  If your soup turns too thick, you can always thin it out with more milk.

Finished soup served with a piece of my leftover Irish soda bread.