For inquiring minds, my booties are from the lovely Bed|Stu, and my lacy number is an Anthropologie special. (Oh, and yes. Those are paint smears on my Target leggings. My mother would be so proud...)
And a lil of this:
Setting the perfect stage for this:
I believe in doing simple things really well. Particularly, in the kitchen. This soup is a great example of a simple base with a thousand different variations. If broccoli kinda isn't your veggie (but don't worry, it will be after your roast it. Trust me, I'm right), you can roast up really any veggie you like and pair it with a cheese to your liking. Mix up the spices, and you can really get somethin' goin. Just think, roasted carrot soup with sharp white cheddar cheese and rosemary. AMAZEBALLS. Anywho, I'm going to teach you the basics; then you can let your own imagination roam. Today, we will keep it simple: broccoli, cheddar, and bay leaves.
I make this soup when I have a room full of friends watching a movie and snuggling up with a backdrop of snow. It's filling and easy to throw together. No need to spend the whole day in the kitchen.
Roasted Broccoli Cheddar Soup
The majority of the flavor in this soup comes from the roasting of the broccoli; so, obviously, we need to pause and consider the glorious process of roasting. Specifically, how to do it properly.
First, gather your head/ heads of broccoli (If you are going to use a bag of broccoli, which is perfectly acceptable, please, for the love of all things delicious, trim off the ends. You do it to flowers, why wouldn't you do it something you are about to consume?) and trim the stems off very close to the top of the florets.
Also, break the florets into small-ish pieces. The smaller the surface area, the more you have to crisp. Yum. See below:
Once you have your broccoli/ any veggie trimmed and ready to go, douse the veggies in olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt -- probably more than you think you need. And be sure to leave plenty of room between the florets. Crowding will cause steaming. Steaming will cause sogginess; we want crispy.
Roast your veggies in the oven at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until they look like the broccoli below. P.S. You'll be shocked at how much your broccoli shrinks up. Really, it's crazy.
And without further ado, the actual recipe.
Ingredients
About 2 cups of roasted broccoli (see above for recipe, in case you skipped)
Olive oil
Salt to taste
I medium onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
6 bay leaves
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of milk or cream
2 handfuls of cheddar cheese
Preparation Instructions
Pour a splash or two of olive oil in the bottom of your pan and begin to sweat your onion and garlic, seasoning with salt to taste. Once the garlic and olive oil are translucent, add the bay leaves and stir for a few moments. Deglaze your pan with the chicken broth, add the broccoli, and let simmer for about ten minutes to fully develop the flavors. Remove your bay leaves and lightly puree your soup with a stick blender. I like to leave mine a bit chunky. Add the cream and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and serve piping hot!
What are your snow day traditions?
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