Broccoli Soup

Otherwise known as, I got three pounds of broccoli florets (fresh!) on sale for 99 cents and had no idea what to do with it!

This was pretty easy and tasty, with absolutely zero complaints from the peanut gallery.

Recipe:

• center of a bunch of celery (incl. leaves)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 lb. broccoli florets, chopped
• 4 tsp. non-bleached flour
• 4 tsp. organic butter
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 slices white american cheese
• black pepper, to taste
• seasoned salt, to taste
• 2 cups of milk

To answer your question about the first ingredient, yes the leaves are edible. And yes, I know noone likes the center of the celery. That's why you are putting it in the soup. Reducing waste, my friend. Other ways you could green it up, make it a bit healthier.. use a raw cheese, and/or raw milk (aka Amish milk), and get rid of the seasoned salt in favor of a good-quality sea salt.


In a large pot, saute celery, onion, and garlic with the nutmeg, black pepper, seasoned salt and ground mustard. Once the veggies are getting soft, add the broccoli. In a separate pan, you will need to start working on your roux. Don't know how to make a roux? Click here: http://mymemasway.blogspot.com/2009/12/roux-making.html
Meanwhile, once the broccoli has sauteed enough to get a bit of extra flavor, add the milk. You may need to judge how much milk you like, I wanted my soup more filling and less soupy, but adjust to suit you. When your roux is done, add it to the soup along with the worcestershire. You want to cook this pretty low, with no risk of scalding the milk. Scalded milk is nasty in case you've never had the experience, I promise you can skip it. Stir occasionally and cook for about 20 minutes or until broccoli is pretty soft. Add cheese to the soup. I simply laid the slices on top and let them melt, then stirred them in really well.

For serving, I made this a family friendly meal to make everyone happy. For my six year old, I took a whole wheat bun and cut it out, breadbowl-style, which was a delight to her. For my husband, I topped it with salsa and gave him a bowl of leftover tortilla chips.

Smiles all around.

The next morning, to go ahead and do away with the little bit of leftover I had (about 1 1/2 cups), I made a quiche.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups broccoli soup
1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets, chopped
4 eggs
1 ready made crust
shredded cheese

Break eggs and beat with soup. Add fresh broccoli. Pour all in ready made crust and top with about 1/2 cup of cheese, more or less to your taste. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 25 minutes or until top is "set" and doesn't jiggle too much when you shake it. Voila! Breakfast!