Broccoli Cheese Soup

Most broccoli cheese soups I've had are as thick as paste and is about as tasty. The broccoli is often mushy and flatulent, well past the point of overcooked. And forget canned versions; I find them abominable.

Homemade soup, on the other hand, can be quite delicious. And no, you don't need a crock pot (not for anything in my book). Broccoli cheese soup is actually quite quick, especially if you don't roast the broccoli first. But why not? Roasting adds another layer of flavor, and it can be done while you're prepping the other veg.

There's also no need for a gloppy texture. Just don't use so much flour!

This soup is somewhat lean in that I didn't use whole milk or half and half, as some recipes call for. Much of the broth's flavor comes from bottled dry hard cider (but a light beer will also work) and chicken stock. It's roux-thickened, so there's not really any need for tons of dairy. And it doesn't need more than a cup and a half of cheese--it's not fondue, after all.

I think this soup is perfect on a cold winter day, especially like the snowy one we just had. In fact, this was dinner that very day, accompanied by hot buttered toast. It would also work well using a small head of cauliflower in place of the broccoli. Even a pound of button mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in butter, would make a good substitute for the broccoli-averse.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 heads broccoli
Olive oil
Salt
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup dry hard cider
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups 2% milk
4 shakes Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground nutmeg (1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (as much as you like)
Tabasco sauce
6 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Trim broccoli stems. Cut into small florets. Peel the stems and cut into chunks. Arrange in one layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Roast for 20 minutes, or until florets start to char a bit on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

In a soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and stir in the flour until a paste forms. Add the carrot, pepper, and onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until veg start to soften and everything smells good. Pour in the cider, stock, and milk and bring to a simmer. Season with the Worcestershire, nutmeg, pepper, a few shakes of hot sauce. Add the broccoli and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender. Stir in the cheese until melted. Season with salt to taste.

Serves 4-6



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Spicy Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

I have always been a fan of cauliflower. Even as a kid, I could eat an entire head of it for dinner. Just slather it with butter and add some salt and I'd be happy. But I was never a picky eater. My brother, on the other hand, was. The only way he would ingest cauliflower (or broccoli) was if it had been smothered in gloppy cheese sauce. Fortunately (or not), Green Giant produced such a concoction in plastic bags that could be reheated in a pot of boiling water. Mm mm.

So it didn't seem like much of a stretch to put cauliflower in macaroni and cheese. With the veg standing in for some of the pasta, it could even lower the calorie count of the dish a tad. Just a tad, because, you know, cheese sauce. That isn't ever going to be lo-cal and taste good at the same time.

You could omit the onion, garlic, and peppers from this dish to make it plainer for your picky kid who will only eat mac and cheese and chicken fingers. Or, you could make their undiscriminating asses that garbage from a box that you usually feed them and cook this much tastier version for yourself. It might look and smell so good, the rugrats will beg you for a taste.

Spicy Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

1 medium onion, chopped
Olive oil
Salt
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded or not, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small head cauliflower, separated into small florets
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 6-oz can evaporated milk
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar
Pinch smoked paprika
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons panko

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook the onion over medium heat in a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a pinch of salt. When the onion is translucent and starting to brown a bit on the edges (about 8-10 minutes) add the jalapeno and the garlic, stirring frequently until pepper has softened. Remove from the heat.

While the onion is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the cauliflower until just tender. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Bring the water back to the boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, about five minutes. Drain the water from the pot, leaving the macaroni in it. Add the cauliflower and the sauteed onion mixture to the macaroni and stir to combine. Turn the heat back on under the pot, about to medium, and add the evaporated milk and the pepper jack and cheddar cheeses. Stir until the cheeses have melted. Stir in the smoked paprika and taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

Pour all into a buttered 9" x 13" baking dish. Top with the Parm and panko. Bake for 20 minutes until heated through and bubbly. If not browned on top, put the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes to get the crumbs nice and toasty.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Cauliflower Fritters

I read this post on Mango & Ginger just after I purchased some miniature multicolored cauliflower at the local farmers' market. Normally I'd steam the cauli and serve it with lashings of butter, or maybe roast it, but cauliflower fritters sounded too perfect.

I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen that combined cauliflower with feta cheese. Deb Perelman topped her fritters with a cumin-flavored yogurt and pomegranate seeds, but I was married to the harissa yogurt idea. Plus, we have a shaker full of harissa that we bought at MOM's Organic Market a while back, and I'm always looking for ways to use it.

This was perfect.

Cauliflower Fritters with Harissa Dipping Sauce (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

For fritters:
1 pound cauliflower florets, steamed until tender
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive oil for frying

For sauce:
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon harissa powder, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

To make fritters: Using a potato masher, mash cooked cauliflower in a large bowl. Add egg and mix well. Stir in feta.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir into egg and cauliflower mixture until just combined. The batter will be very thick and lumpy.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, plop in the batter in 2-tablespoon dollops, flattening them slightly with your spoon. Because the batter is so thick, it might seem that they won't hold together--have faith, they will. Repeat with additional batter, leaving space between each. Once browned on the bottom, carefully flip each fritter and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

To make sauce: combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Makes 8 fritters

Posted on Minxeats.com.