Broccoli Cheese Soup

I’ve decided to end my extended hiatus from this blog by sharing a recipe. There have been many, many times I’ve been tempted to write about the pandemic, but I hesitated out of concern that I’d later cringe over capturing a faulty moment in the work in progress that is my opinion on all things Covid. Right now I’m inclined to think that the 1918 Flu became a “forgotten pandemic” not just due to the horror of the disease itself but also because people learned that some of their friends, family, neighbors and leaders were really just self-centered shitheads.

To take my mind off assorted pandemic controversies, I made a big pot of broccoli cheese soup on New Year’s Day. While the soup has a somewhat healthy title, it’s actually quite indulgent.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

serves 8 (or 2 who are interested in rapid weight gain)

• 1 quart half and half
• 2 cups milk
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 T dried minced onion
• 3 heads finely chopped broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 oz shredded parmesan cheese

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in flour slowly with a whisk. Let the flour bubble for a couple minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in half and half, working out lumps. Whisk in milk and broth. Sprinkle in dried onion. Heat mixture until it reaches a gentle boil for two minutes, stirring regularly. Add broccoli and carrots and cook for 10-15 minutes more, until vegetables are as soft as you like. Turn off heat and gradually stir in cheddar and parmesan cheese until all the cheese is melted. Serve with crackers or fresh baked rolls.

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