bag of broccoli

I'm drinking a LOT of PG Tips tea and heavy cream these days. mmMMmmm. S and I bought a giant bag of broccoli yesterday, and while I ate 3/4 of the enormous warehouse sized bag yesterday roasted and parmesaned (yes that's a word), I had a little left to make some broccoli cheddar soup.





Broccoli Cheddar Soup

So most recipes call for a roux or a beurre manié (ooh don't that sound fancy? it's just mushed up butter and flour - basically a raw roux) but since we're trying to nix the flour, here it is without. It's not as nice and gloopy as the stuff you get at Panera...

1/2-whole onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, chopped up, or a 1/4-1/2 tsp of garlic powder (if you want)
1-2 Tablespoons of butter
salt
Head of broccoli, cut into small florets
Chicken stock, or water if you have nothing else. I used homemade because I had it on hand.
1/4 cup or so of heavy cream
1/2 cup or so of shredded Cheddar

1. Sweat the onion and garlic or garlic powder in the butter. Add a large pinch of salt.
2. Add about 1/2 cup of the stock or water, throw in the florets, raise the flame to high and cover.
3. In a few minutes, when it starts to simmer/boil, turn it down to medium and keep the lid on.
4. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes or longer, depending on how big your broccoli pieces were.If you stab it with a fork, it should have zero resistance. Zero.
5. Toss the whole thing (CAREFULLY) in a blender or food processor and give it a whiz till its nice and blended.
6. Put it back in the pan, bring to a simmer (it'll be splashy so watch out) and add a glug of cream. When it gets hot again, turn the flame off and stir in as much cheddar as you want. Taste, and add salt till it's deeeelicious.