A soup that is love at first bite or hatred for life? Let’s dive into Broccoli soup with a tasty bit of cheddar!
There are two kind of people on this planet. One likes broccoli while the other hates it. There is no middle ground here. Maybe a bit of grey area where someone is not particularly fond of it but shoves it down if it happens to be on the plate because that’s something healthy, isn’t it.
This phenomenon is not coming down as some kind of pickiness that meant to exist solely to annoy parents and give the chance to an army of artist to create various adorable children friendly broccoli arts and crafts.
A not so long realized study that was examined broccoli and its relations to the human race concluded that some people genetically capable of eating this green thing. Meanwhile others taste it so bitter that they can’t even bear to look at it.
It turns out that the perceived bitterness of broccoli and some other vegetables like cauliflower, brussels sprout or cabbage, varies from person to person. It sounds that attempting to get three Michelin stars with dishes featuring these veggies are doomed to failure.
Who knows what people are capable of though? Broccoli was pretty much a non-existent thing until the VI. Century BC. It was not genetically engineered but cleverly cultivated from the wild cabbage in the same way as cauliflower, savoy cabbage, kale, brussels sprout and some others.
It’s pretty amazing that the same plant can be so different through evolutionary selection alone without truly intervening into the process but letting only those survive which have desirable features.
It must have been quite a journey creating something that half of the population hates but those times were different. People were happy to eat anything that was available and didn’t need to cushion the broccoli with stock.
Nor it is necessary today to be honest. Broccoli can be made perfectly edible without using any stock at all. A couple of minutes of cooking or even better steaming until the texture softens up a bit and the ingredients for the soup are almost ready.
Cooking vegetables reduces their nutrition content, more precisely those little things are leaking into the water then evaporating or even worse being poured down the sink. Steaming will prevent such nefariousness and still provides us with the necessary liquid we can use for our soup.
Pureeing the soup is again up to personal preferences. Some like it soft and creamy while others swear to have some bits here and there that provides some excitement with the soup but all agree on having a bit of cheese with the soup.
Cheese is the ingredient that will sell this soup for anyone who is not suffering from dairy intolerance. It’s the quintessential part of any creamy broccoli soup be it a fancy goat cheese or just a plain matured cheddar.
Mind that not all cheese will do, as soft cheese like Gouda, Masdaam or god forbid American cheese, will not melt in a way it’s desirable in a soup nor have the necessary flavor portfolio to complete the broccoli.
Our best bet if Matured Cheddar isn’t available would be the Parmesan style hard cheeses that provide the necessary creaminess and excitement not for our broccoli soup but for our soul as well.
Ingredients
- 1 head / 500g Broccoli
- 1 cup / 250g Water
- 1 teaspoon /5g Salt
- 1 teaspoon / 3g Black pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup / 30g Cheddar cheese (mature) (grated)
How to make broccoli soup
- Wash the broccoli then cut it up to pieces or small florets.
- Heat water up add salt, black pepper and any other optional seasoning. Place the broccoli into the seasoned boiling water or above it into the steamer.
- Cook until tender for about 3 – 4 minutes. It doesn’t need to be too soft just enough to be easily cut or broken.
- When it’s done take the broccoli out from the water or steamer but don’t discard the water. Puree the broccoli with a hand blander or mixer. Add about a half cup seasoned cooking or steaming water to the broccoli and mix it.
- Add the grated cheese then blend into the broccoli.
- The cheese will thicken the soup a bit up therefore if we are after a thinner consistency add more water and blend it well. Serve it with a bit of cheese on top.
Enjoy!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head Broccoli
- 1 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper optional
- ¼ cup Cheddar cheese mature, grated
Instructions
- Wash the broccoli then cut it up to pieces or small florets.
- Heat water up add salt, black pepper and any other optional seasoning. Place the broccoli into the seasoned boiling water or above it into the steamer.
- Cook until tender for about 3 – 4 minutes. It doesn't need to be too soft just enough to be easily cut or broken.
- When it's done take the broccoli out from the water or steamer but don't discard the water. Puree the broccoli with a hand blander or mixer. Add about a half cup seasoned cooking or steaming water to the broccoli and mix it.
- Add the grated cheese then blend into the broccoli.
- The cheese will thicken the soup a bit up therefore if we are after a thinner consistency add more water and blend it well. Serve it with a bit of cheese on top.
Nutrition
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It’s really quick and tasty! I’ve tried without cheese and it was tasty too! Thanks!
It’s amazing how tasty broccoli can be on its own! Thanks for the feedback!