It's really Broccoli Cheese Soup. Our three-year old Alex, can't say broccoli cheese soup. He can say, "Green Soup."
The original recipe came from America's Test Kitchen (a TV program that's likely on your local PBS station - I highly recommend watching it.) It flips the idea of a cheese soup on it's head. The soup isn't just green, it tastes like broccoli. Yum!
2 tbsp. butter
2 lbs. broccoli chopped into 1-inch pieces. This can include both the florets and stems, though you may need to peel tougher stems. (I GUESS you can use up to one lb frozen broccoli, but then the fresh better have been picked today...)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
1 1/2 tsps. dry mustard power
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3-4 cups water
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups chicken broth
2 oz baby spinach (about 2 cups loosely packed)
3 oz shredded "orange" cheese (preferably a nice sharp cheddar, but a Colby works too)
1.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not the powdery bottled variety)
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium high heat. Add the broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard powder and cayenne. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until the scent makes you inhale deeply and smile :)
Add one cup of water and the baking soda. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook the mixture for 20 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking. At the end, the result should look like a mushy mess. If there are any hard bits, cook a little longer.
Add broth and 2 cups of water. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and stir in spinach. Cook the spinach until wilted, about a minute or two.
Now, you have two choices.
IF YOU HAVE AN IMMERSION BLENDER:
Use your immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until smooth. Stir in the cheese, a handful at a time.
IF YOU HAVE A BLENDER:
Ladle about half of the hot soup into your blender, add about half of the cheese, and whizz until smooth. Repeat with the other half of the soup and the other half of the cheese. Return the soup to the pot and stir.
Now is the best part :) Top with more shredded parmesan, croutons, pieces of toast or hearty rye crackers. Enjoy!
