Cheese and Broccoli Soup?

Giselle

I had a lovely bowl of cheese and broccoli soup at a lunch counter yesterday. I really wish I'd asked the waitress how it was made, but I didn't.

I was trawling through recipe sites looking for the most likely recipe...most of them are American, and require the addition of American processed cheese. I know it wasn't processed cheese in the soup I had, I could taste the sharp cheddar. The recipes were also phenomenally high in calories, not a bad thing for me, but if I wanted to serve it as a starter I'd want something less filling.

Americans have lots of lovely locally produced food, but cheese isn't something they do well (generally), and I refuse to add processed cheese of any nationality to soup!

So, long story short, does anyone have any recipes for broccoli and cheese soup that aren't too 'heavy' and use decent cheese?

nompere

One of my favourites - there's often a tub in the freezer:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4886/broccoli-and-blue-cheese-soup

Giselle

That looks like a nice fresh-tasting, simple recipe. Thanks!

Pembily

nompere wrote: »

One of my favourites - there's often a tub in the freezer:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4886/broccoli-and-blue-cheese-soup

Broccoli and stilton / gorgonzola is an amazing soup SO easy and cheap!

Rosy Posy

I usually make up a standard soup base by frying onions and garlic and adding stock, then turn off the heat and put in your broccoli- you don't want to overcook it or it will lose its flavour. Then blend it and in a separate pot make up a cheese sauce by making a roux (equal parts butter and flour over a very low heat mixed to a velvety consistency)then add milk and grated cheddar cheese and stir until thick. I would then add a ladle of the broccoli mix to my cheese sauce and mix it well, then tip the whole lot back into the big pot of soup.

Giselle

Pembily wrote: »

Broccoli and stilton / gorgonzola is an amazing soup SO easy and cheap!

I'm pretty sure the one I had was made with a mature cheddar.

I might just have to invent a broccoli and three cheese soup - cheddar, stilton and gorgonzola.

mimihops

+1 to the bbc good food recipe, it's surprisingly tasty considering it's so simple.

nompere

This is a completely different soup - though cauliflower and broccoli are both brassicas - and I've made it for a few people who all enjoyed it.

http://www.woolfit.com/cauliflower.html

I particularly like Nigel Slater's general attitude to his recipes: "it might be my recipe but it's your supper". He isn't unduly prescriptive in what he writes. "Handfuls" and "glugs" are an excellent way of expressing quantities.

Giselle

I've made the Good Food version Nompere suggested, and I also made a batch of Rosy Posys soup, with the addition of a dash of cream, using cheddar and stilton.

Both absolutely yummers!

When I get a chance during the week (its going to take a while to eat all this up!) I'm going to try the cauli and broccoli soup.

Thanks so much everyone

amandausa

Yum! I usually make a simple broccoli soup:

onion/garlic/celery sauteed then add broccoli and one chopped potato for thickness, cover with chicken stock bring to a boil then simmer until everything is fork tender -- then mash or handblend it -- add pepper and a small amount of cream if you like

and then to serve I add shredded cheddar over the top of the soup -- it melts in and becomes stringy as you eat the soup, very much comfort food! Also, if I make it on the thick and chuncky side, it goes really nicely over a baked potato

Kimia

Giselle, I have the most glorious recipe for Broccoli and Cheddar soup:

Ingredients

1. 2 x heads of Broccoli
2. 2 onions
3. 1 leek
4. Good handful of spinach
5. 2 x large potatoes
6. 10 oz sharp or strong cheddar cheese (not processed), shredded
7. chicken stock
8. 2 cups of milk
9. garlic
10. thyme
11. mustard powder

Sweat the onions, leeks and garlic until soft.

Throw in the spinach, potatoes (cut up) and broccoli and mix with the onions/leeks etc.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp of thyme and 1tsp of mustard powder over the vegetables.

Pour in a good amount of chicken stock - enough to cover the veg. Bring to the boil and simmer for maybe 30 mins.

Once that's done the veg will be all mushy. Blend with a hand blender. It'll be nice and green.

Stir in 2 cups of milk.

Stir in your cheese and keep stirring until it's all melted through.

This is the nicest soup I have ever made and not massively high in calories. Maybe 150-200 a bowl but worth it because it's very filling and I have it for my breakfast in the winter. There is a huge amount of cheese but it's worth it, it makes it very rich and decadent. You can sprinkle some grated cheese over the top of the soup for presentation too if you like.

Giselle

Thanks Kimia, that looks yummy and its definitely on the list to try!

leahyl

When you say 2 cups of milk Kimia do you literally mean cups as in a cup of tea?

Pigwidgeon

leahyl wrote: »

When you say 2 cups of milk Kimia do you literally mean cups as in a cup of tea?

I assumed it was American measurements. I think a cup is about 235ml.

leahyl

Pigwidgeon wrote: »

leahyl wrote: »

When you say 2 cups of milk Kimia do you literally mean cups as in a cup of tea?

I assumed it was American measurements. I think a cup is about 235ml.

Cheers PigWidgeon - these American measurements do my head in!! :-P

sleepyescapade

I think there are 2 US cups in a pint

Giselle

leahyl wrote: »

Cheers PigWidgeon - these American measurements do my head in!! :-P

Heres a handy American/metric/imperial table of common ingredients for you Leahyl.


http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/kitchen/weights.htm

leahyl

Giselle wrote: »

leahyl wrote: »

Cheers PigWidgeon - these American measurements do my head in!! :-P

Heres a handy American/metric/imperial table of common ingredients for you Leahyl.


http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/kitchen/weights.htm

Excellent Giselle thanks a million!

amandausa

If you use American recipes often, its handy just to pick up a cheap measuring pitcher that has cups, etc on it... thats what I did when I moved here and saves time then to have to keep looking up the conversions while in the kitchen!