Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Cheddar Cheese & Broccoli Soup

Today I made some soup from this recipe from The Washington Post: "Cheddar Cheese Soup." 

It was good, but I would make some modifications to it because I want broccoli in it and I didn't care for the crunchiness of the carrots and celery. I'd prefer those veggies to be cooked. 

I get why the cook who created the recipe wanted the contrast of crunchy carrots and celery with the creamy soup. But I'll just use crackers or pumpkin seeds if I want some crunch. 

So here's how I'm going to make a cheddar cheese soup in the future. 

Ingredients

1 medium onion, grated on a box grater

1 stalk of celery, chopped finely

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup of AP flour

4 cups of chicken stock, hot

3-4 cups of grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup of half and half

1 package of streamable broccoli

1 teaspoon of ground turmeric

1 teaspoon of roasted garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Process

Cut up all the vegetables. In a large pot, melt the stick of butter on low. Add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, and thyme and move the heat to medium-low. 

Add some salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender. 

In a pot nearby, make sure your chicken stock is hot. 

Down the heat to low and add the flour to veggie/butter mix and stir constantly to make a light-brown roux. 

Add the hot broth approximately a cup at a time. and whisk to make sure everything is fully incorporated. 

Steam the broccoli and drain. Cut the broccoli into small florets.

Add in grated cheese in about three to four batches and incorporate. Add in the half and half. Then add in the turmeric, garlic powder, and broccoli. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste.