broccoli cheese soup
Are you tired of soup posts? Maybe the better question is, is my family tired of eating soup? Hopefully not, because I’ve been souping it up a lot lately. One of my favorite soups is the broccoli cheese soup from Cook’s Illustrated—it’s light, spicy, cheesy, and full of vegetables.
First, melt two tablespoons of butter in a large pot.
Then add in one chopped onion and two cloves of garlic, minced (you don’t have to be too precise with the chopping, as the soup is going to be pureed later).
Toss in two pounds of broccoli (I used frozen because that’s less work, but if you use fresh, just chop it into florets and cut the stems into 1/4 inch-thick slices).
Next, add the spices—1.5 teaspoons dry mustard powder and a pinch (~1/8 teaspoon) cayenne pepper.
After cooking this for about six minutes, it should look like this.
At this point, add one cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (this helps the broccoli to soften). Cook until the broccoli is very soft (about twenty minutes).
Then, pour in two more cups of water and two cups of broth.
Once that’s at a simmer, add in two ounces of baby spinach.
After the spinach has wilted, blend the soup. I find that an immersion blender is the best tool for the job,
but a regular blender will work too.
And this wouldn’t be broccoli cheese soup without cheese, so once the soup’s smooth, add in three ounces of grated cheddar and one and a half ounces of grated parmesan.
Blend it for another minute, then serve.
