I found myself with a bit too much broccoli in the veggie bin this week. I had gotten it three weeks in a row in my veggie box and I hadn't been able to use it up as quickly as I should have. It's a good thing the stuff that comes in the veggie box is really fresh!
Anyways, I decided to make a delicious and warming soup/chowder with it. It's been so cold and rainy this Winter. Soup is always welcome. All you need to make a meal of it is some nice crusty bread really.
Todd usually likes his soupls pureed. I like a bit of texture in mine, and so this is a bit of both. I mashed some of it with a potato masher, which not only thickened it a bit, but made him happy . . . and the chunks made me happy.
I added cheese. Broccoli and cheese are such good bed partners. They get along quite happily. Use a strong flavoured cheese. A good strong cheddar works very well. I also added some carrot for colour and additional texture. It's really a chowder I think . . . which is more than a soup. Chowder is a meal.
*Broccoli and Cheddar Chowder*
Serves 6
A healthy and satisfyingly delicious winter chowder recipe using up bits from the vegetable bin.
1 TBS rapeseed oil
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large stalk of celery, trimmed and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 TBS plain flour
1 tsp dry mustard powder
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 pound broccoli, stems peeled and chopped,
florets, separated and cut into bite sized pieces
900ml of vegetable stock (3 1/2cups)
120g strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
(plus a bit extra to sprinkle on the finished soup when you serve it)
125ml of cream (1/2 cup)
fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, shallot, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion and celery have softened, without browning. Add the potato and garlic. Cook, stirring until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the flour, mustard and cayenne, stirring it in well and allowing it to cook for a couple minutes. Stir in the vegetable stock along with the broccoli stems. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes. Uncover and stir in the broccoli florets. Cover and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the cover and mash it a bit with a potato masher. Don't mash it too much, as you want a coarse texture. Stir in the cheddar and cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper. Ladle into heated bowls. Top with some grated cheese and serve.
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