Broccoli Cheese Soup

Soup, you say. Why is RestaurantQuality telling me to make soup on an August 22nd Saturday? It's Summertime, isn't it?

Sure does not feel like Summertime. Feels like October 22nd, not August 22nd. Although, it does not LOOK like Fall. Our backyard looks like Summertime ---- everything is green and lush. Everyday, our impatiens lure me over to them so that I may tell them how fabulously gorgeous they are. (They are particularly narcissistic this Summer.)

If Monet were to drop by for a bowl of Broccoli Cheese Soup, he would not be able to resist getting his easel out and painting splashes of those beauties in our backyard. Then, I'd have to go to Musee d'Orsay to view them, after tea and croissant at a nearby cafe, of course.

I digress. It's soup weather, today, not brats on the grill weather, so I give you Broccoli Cheese Soup. It will be even better when it is October 22nd. (And, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare.)

Life is good...........................


Broccoli Cheese Soup

About 6 servings, at 1 1/3 cups per serving)

Suggested musical background: The Good Life (Bobby Darin)

2 T. butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
16 ounces broccoli florets (see my notes)
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 t. black pepper
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed

Melt the butter in a 'soup pan'. Add the onion. Saute for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes.

Add the broth and the broccoli. Bring to a boil, over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to medium; continue to cook another 10 minutes.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. (You are making a roux, here).

Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes, or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.

Stir in pepper.

Remove from heat.

Add Velveeta, stirring until cheese melts.

Place 1/3 of the soup in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.

Return pureed soup mixture to pan.


My Notes:

The broccoli florets: I do not buy florets. I buy 2 large heads of broccoli. Chop off the stems, so that I have 'florets' -- just the top green part. I have never even attempted to figure out the proper weight of the '2 large heads of broccoli' when I buy broccoli. I just wing it. You are hereby empowered to do the same.

The garlic: I buy the bottled minced garlic and throw in a teaspoon of it.

I use 2% milk. Use whatever you have.

I use the low fat or no fat chicken broth.

Velveeta. Yes, I use Velveeta and it tastes really good, thankyouverymuch.

The 'soup pan'. By this, I mean a pan you'd make soup in. I did not want to say 'stock pot', because those things can be HUGE. There are about 6 cups of liquid in this recipe, along with the other ingredients. I use our 'spaghetti pan' not our 'corn on the cob pan'---- hope that gives you a frame of reference.

Using a blender works very well. Don't think you have to go out and buy a food processor. If you have an immersion blender, it will work very well, too. Just eyeball the 1/3 that you'll be processing. I have never measured it out.

Stay warm.................

Mrs. LeTendre's French Onion Soup

Angie Pipia LeTendre was a wonderful person, mother of my friend, Chris. And, could Mrs. LeTendre cook. I have a few of her recipes; watch for her Chicken Parmesan in the future. This is a woman who would get out of bed at midnight and make us home-made pizza, after myself, Lynn, Judy and Chris would show up for an unplanned sleepover after an evening at The Old House (a teen bar, north of The Great City on a Great Lake). Wonderful memories of the LeTendre hospitality..............

Enjoy her French Onion Soup..............(with my variation)


Mrs. LeTendre's French Onion Soup

2 T. butter
2 T. oil
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
7 beef boullion cubes
7 Cups water
1 t. sugar
2 T. flour
salt/pepper to taste
3/4 Cup red wine, optional

Thinly sliced pieces of baguette
Gruyere cheese, sliced


Use a large pan. Something you'd make soup in, or something you'd make pasta sauce in.

Heat butter and oil; add onions and sugar, and stir well.

Caramelize onions over medium-low heat, by doing the following (my variation): Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the pan. Place the parchment paper directly on the onions, while they cook. About every 10-15 minutes, lift the paper and stir those caramelizing onions. Will take about 1 hr to 1 1/4 hrs. Onions will cook down and become a gorgeous golden color.

After caramelized, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Add boullion cubes and water. Salt and pepper, if you like.

Bring to boil. Add the optional wine (wine is ALWAYS an option, for me).

Simmer for at least 30 minutes. I let it simmer for at least an hour.

Once the soup is ready and in bowls, I top with 1-2 pieces of crostini, then the cheese.

If you have 'broil proof' crocks, you can place under the broiler for the cheese to melt.

I use a kitchen torch and it works really well.

(To make the crostini, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baguette slices on a cookie sheet and brust with olive oil. Bake for about 5 minutes.)

You won't be able to stop yourself from 'trying' the broth, as it simmers. And, your house is going to smell of onions for at least a day. There are lots of ideas online for masking the smell, if you care to 'google'.