
It has all of a sudden, after a lovely autumn weekend with blue skies and sunshine, turned into cold winter weather. So out comes our gas heater, wood for the fire-place and hot chocolate as we bid salads goodbye and say hello to soups. Little things are as comforting during the cold months as a bowl of warm soup and a piece of warm home-made bread! A definite favorite of mine is this broccoli and cheese soup. It is really velvety and rich with delicious flavors leaving you comforted and satisfied.

This soup is also a real weekday winner as it is very quick to prepare and does not leave you with a lot of washing up! So three cheers for broccoli soup!

I served this soup with fresh bread and croutons. Also add a little cheese for garnish. Feta will also work well.
This recipe is enough for 2 adults and 2 children.
Ingredients:
- 500g fresh broccoli
- 1 onion chopped (1 cup full)
- 1 stick of celery chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 t freshly ground pepper
- 1 t chopped fresh thyme
- 2 T butter
- 1 T good quality olive oil
- 3 T all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup fresh thick cream
- 1 T butter for decadence ( no, this is not optional! )
- 1 1/4 cups of grated mature cheddar cheese
- a little extra cheese for garnish
Method:
- Melt the butter over medium heat together, with the olive oil in a heavy based sauce pan.
- Add the onions, celery, garlic and fry until translucent
- Add the salt, nutmeg, pepper and thyme and fry another half a minute
- Add the three tablespoons of flour and stir well, cook for about two minutes until it becomes fragrant and thickens
- Add the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time and stir continually while bringing the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the broccoli, simmering it for about 10 minutes until tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat and puree the broccoli and liquid with a stick blender. ( You can also puree it in batches in a food processor)
- Return to the heat and add the cream, the extra butter and cheese stirring until the cheese has melted
- Remove from the heat and serve in soup bowls with fresh bread and croutons. Garnish with some more grated cheese