Broccoli Soup for the Soul

One day recently, I was having a craving for some really good Broccoli Soup. I wanted a soup that was thick and creamy, and packed full of delicious broccoli. Oh, and it had to be easy to make, of course. This recipe has since been making the rounds in my family, and everyone seems to love it, so I thought I’d better post it here and share with everybody.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola, safflower, etc.)
• ½ cups flour
• 2 ½ cups milk (whole is best)
• 2 – 2 ½ cups chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons Better than Bouillon, chicken flavor
• 1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 1 Tablespoon parsley
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 12 ounces of broccoli florets
• If you like heat, a little pinch of cayenne is a great addition 

First up, the broccoli. I love the bags of organic florets that Trader Joe’s carries. Basically, all the prep work has been done for you. If there are some clusters that are really big, you might want to cut them in half or something, but certainly don’t worry about chopping broccoli. In my world, broccoli that is in soup should be nice and soft, so we’ll be cooking it enough that it will basically just fall apart.

Add the broccoli to a pan, along with about ¼ cup water. Put the lid on, and place it over medium low heat. Then, just leave it to do its thing while you work on the soup.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat place the butter and oil.

When the butter is melted, add the flour.

Stir until there are no lumps, and then continue stirring for another minute or so. After that, go ahead and pour in the chicken stock.

If the chicken stock is cold, you might end up with big lumps of the flour mixture, but don’t panic, just keep stirring. As soon as the stock heats up, they’ll melt and disappear. Then add the milk.

Along with the Better than Bouillon and dried onions.

Stir the mixture until it thickens and comes to a boil.

Turn off the heat and add the parsley and black pepper.

Stir those in, then place on the lid. Turn the heat off for the broccoli, as well. Then just walk away from everything and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. That will give the onions a chance to rehydrate and the broccoli will finish steaming.

When you return, the broccoli will be fall apart tender.

Then just add it, along with any remaining liquid, to the soup.

Give it a good stir (sometimes if the broccoli isn’t falling apart as much as I’d like, I’ll use a potato masher and give it a quick pass). You have now reached broccoli soup deliciousness!

I like to serve mine with some freshly grated, Tillamook, extra sharp cheddar.

What kind of food do you crave when it’s cold outside?

French but not Fried

And you thought I was nuts making a whole crock pot full of caramelized onions.

 

One of the best ways to use up those deliciously dark alliums is in soup. Particularly one that also uses up stale bread.

French onion soup seems like a treat a lot of the time. It's usually in the realm of restaurant fare only, which is strange given how easy it is to make. Particularly if you make the components in the crock pot and then freeze them until you want soup.

A few weeks ago I dumped a frozen pound of stewing beef into the crock pot, covered it with water, and let it cook while I was at work all day. I had no idea what I was going to do with it when I got home, but I figured the meat would be ready, at least.

Turns out, I also ended up with a crock pot full of beef broth. Well, into the freezer with that!

Really, if you don't know what to do with something, toss it in the freezer. You'll find it one day and be totally inspired. And if you tend to forget what's in there, you can always keep a list on the door.

So, I had a few things in the freezer, and I wanted something fancy looking for dinner.

French Onion Soup

• 3-4 cups beef broth
• 1/2 c white wine (if you want)
• a sprig of thyme
• a bay leaf
• black pepper
• about a cup of caramelized onions
• a few slices of stale-ish bread
• ementhaller or swiss cheese

You can use some kind of already prepared broth for this if you'd like, but please simmer it with the herbs for at least a few minutes. I mean, you have to bring it to a boil anyway, you might as well toss more flavour in at the same time.

Get your oven broiler going and slice the bread if it isn't already.

But before you do, move one of the racks up. I prefer to use the second highest spot.

Combine the broth, booze, and herbs in a pot, and bring to a boil.

Exactly half a cup. I don't need to measure.

Let them simmer for asshort or as long as you'd like. I suggest about a half hour. The onions will need that long to thaw anyway.

Once the onions are thawed and the broth is hot and simmered, divide them up between your bowls.

Dinner for two in Corningware. I do have some oven proof bowls that were leftovers from the restaurant my parents owned, but they were smaller than the ramekins, and I wanted lots of soup. Any oven proof dish will work. And the look of the bowl won't change the flavour of the soup. I dare you to make it in a loaf pan.

Trim the bread slices to fit the bowl as best you can and lay them out on a baking sheet. Toast each side under the broiler for a few minutes. Just golden. You can do this in a toaster, but I wasn't sure about the size and shape and didn't want to have to go digging in there with a fork.

Have your cheese ready to go. Grate it if it's a block, or tear it if it's slices. We had slices because we'd just made another epic sammich.

Set the toasty bread on top of the soup, cover it with cheese, and put it under the hot broiler right away.

In no time at all the cheese will be a gooey golden lovely coat on top of the bread that's already half soaked with delicious beefy oniony broth.

And dinner is served. And since that bottle of wine is already opened... may as well pour yourself a glass.

Have you ever served soup in a loaf pan? What kind of serving dish have you had to improvise?