Cream of Broccoli Soup

Broccoli (2 medium sized stalks)
Onion (half of a good sized one should do it)
Celery (a couple of stocks)
Garlic (2 cloves)
Butter (1 stick)
Flour (about a half cup)
Chicken Stock (16oz)
Milk (about a cup)
Parmesan Cheese TT
Basil TT
S&P TT


Cooler weather is on its way, so tis the season for soups. To make sure I can still whip up a tasty bowl of yummy, I figured I should get in some practice. Turns out I still have the touch. Or at least my wife seems to think so.

There isn't much out there that can warm you up better than a nice warm bowl of cream soup, and you might be surprised at just how simple it really is. The nice thing is, you can turn just about anything into a cream soup. It just depends on what you like. This time around I went with Broccoli. I had a bunch in the fridge and decided to put it to use.

Start with the celery and onions. Chop them up and toss them into a pot set at a medium heat with a little butter. Next, mince up a couple of garlic cloves and toss those in as well. While those cook up chop up your broccoli. You can used frozen if you want, but fresh is always better and, other than taking little longer to cook, is no different so don't be intimidated by using fresh. Toss the broccoli in with the onions, celery and garlic and let them all cook up a bit.

Once the broccoli begins to soften, add the rest of the butter and continue to let it all cook. Once the last of the butter has melted, add some flour. You don't need a ton, just enough to coat the broccoli. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is just shy of being cooked all the way through, then add the chicken stock and milk. Season it to taste, stir it up and bring it to a simmer.

At this point you should have a slightly thick broth and tender veggies. You could add some Parmesan cheese and dish it up, but if you are going for creamy ... go for creamy. Transfer the hot soup into a blender and blend well. Just be careful when doing this. The heat and a sealed blender don't mix very well, and if you don't leave an opening for steam to escape you'll probably end up with soup ... everywhere.

Once the soup is well blended transfer it back into the pot at a low heat and add the Parmesan. Too hot and you'll scorch the cheese and it will ruin the flavor so make sure the heat is lowered. Once your flavor seasoning is where you want it you're ready to dish it up ... it is Just That Easy.

I served mine in a bread bowl, but I'm not going to go over how to make those until I get a recipe worked out. I'm not much of a baker, and even though I know enough to get by I'd like to get you guys a recipe that is doesn't make bland bread (although as bland as it was the paired with the soup it was amazing).