This one goes out to my good friend Joe (
xray
). Recently we have shared many, many recipes for spice mixes, rubs, salads, entrees, dressings, and of course, soups. He and his wife as well as Tracy and I love a good, hearty bowl of soup on a chilly day. Yesterday was one of those days and Tracy asked for me to make this one. I've made this a couple of times but with all the knowledge I've gained from SMF recently I made a couple of tweaks to the process. This was to simplify it and incorporate the flavors better. It worked!!
Got a half pound of bacon crumbles out and fried them in the Dutch oven
Remove the bacon, melt the butter, and add the onions
Veggies all cut up and ready to go in a bit later
Saute onions then add wet ingredients and spices
Simmer for a bit for the base to thicken then add the veggies
Let veggies cook down a bit then add cheese just before serving
Cheese all melted. This is gorgeous!!
Ladle out a nice big bowl
Top with bacon and enjoy!! We had some butter bread to go along with the soup
I know I've been blowing the forum up recently and I did not plan to post this. Tracy however informed that this was too good not to share and I must post it. Blame her if you want
Ok...this used to take multiple cooking vessels but my simplification process yesterday got it to the point that it's a 1-pot meal. I also used to cook the bacon, drain and discard the grease, and cook the bacon in the soup throughout the entire cooking process. Using the grease as part of the thickening agent for the base made a huge addition to the flavor. The bacon used to get lost in the soup because all the flavor cooked into the base, so it was there, but not a forward flavor. The soup itself has enough flavor to stand on it's own so the addition of the bacon on top is off the charts!! This was a great move in making it better. The soup is rich, thick, creamy, and very hearty. True comfort food for a cool windy, and overcast day.
Here is the recipe exactly as I made it yesterday:
½ Onion chopped
¼ lb butter
¼ Cup AP flour
2 Cups milk
2 Cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 Cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
½ Cup match stick cut carrots
2 Stalks celery thinly sliced
2 Cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ Pound sliced bacon cooked and crumbled*
½ t Salt**
2 t Black pepper
1 T Parsley
-In a large pot or Dutch oven cook bacon until slightly crispy, remove from pot and set aside
-Add butter to bacon grease and melt, then add onions
-Saute onions on medium heat till translucent, about 5 minutes
-Add flour to butter and onions. Mix thoroughly
-Add milk, broth, and all dry spices. Simmer stirring regularly until base starts to thicken
-Add veggies and simmer on low until veggies are softened but not over cooked.
-Add cheese just before serving and allow to melt throughout the soup
-Ladle into bowl and top with bacon crumbles.
*Can be omitted
**Recommend adding if bacon is omitted
This soup is supremely good, easy to make, and hard to beat. I love the tweaks that were made yesterday and the recipe in my big black book has been revised to reflect the changes. Hope y'all enjoy it as much as we did if you decide to give it a run.
All souped up,
Robert
xray
). Recently we have shared many, many recipes for spice mixes, rubs, salads, entrees, dressings, and of course, soups. He and his wife as well as Tracy and I love a good, hearty bowl of soup on a chilly day. Yesterday was one of those days and Tracy asked for me to make this one. I've made this a couple of times but with all the knowledge I've gained from SMF recently I made a couple of tweaks to the process. This was to simplify it and incorporate the flavors better. It worked!!Got a half pound of bacon crumbles out and fried them in the Dutch oven
Remove the bacon, melt the butter, and add the onions
Veggies all cut up and ready to go in a bit later
Saute onions then add wet ingredients and spices
Simmer for a bit for the base to thicken then add the veggies
Let veggies cook down a bit then add cheese just before serving
Cheese all melted. This is gorgeous!!
Ladle out a nice big bowl
Top with bacon and enjoy!! We had some butter bread to go along with the soup
I know I've been blowing the forum up recently and I did not plan to post this. Tracy however informed that this was too good not to share and I must post it. Blame her if you want
Ok...this used to take multiple cooking vessels but my simplification process yesterday got it to the point that it's a 1-pot meal. I also used to cook the bacon, drain and discard the grease, and cook the bacon in the soup throughout the entire cooking process. Using the grease as part of the thickening agent for the base made a huge addition to the flavor. The bacon used to get lost in the soup because all the flavor cooked into the base, so it was there, but not a forward flavor. The soup itself has enough flavor to stand on it's own so the addition of the bacon on top is off the charts!! This was a great move in making it better. The soup is rich, thick, creamy, and very hearty. True comfort food for a cool windy, and overcast day.Here is the recipe exactly as I made it yesterday:
½ Onion chopped
¼ lb butter
¼ Cup AP flour
2 Cups milk
2 Cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 Cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
½ Cup match stick cut carrots
2 Stalks celery thinly sliced
2 Cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ Pound sliced bacon cooked and crumbled*
½ t Salt**
2 t Black pepper
1 T Parsley
-In a large pot or Dutch oven cook bacon until slightly crispy, remove from pot and set aside
-Add butter to bacon grease and melt, then add onions
-Saute onions on medium heat till translucent, about 5 minutes
-Add flour to butter and onions. Mix thoroughly
-Add milk, broth, and all dry spices. Simmer stirring regularly until base starts to thicken
-Add veggies and simmer on low until veggies are softened but not over cooked.
-Add cheese just before serving and allow to melt throughout the soup
-Ladle into bowl and top with bacon crumbles.
*Can be omitted
**Recommend adding if bacon is omitted
This soup is supremely good, easy to make, and hard to beat. I love the tweaks that were made yesterday and the recipe in my big black book has been revised to reflect the changes. Hope y'all enjoy it as much as we did if you decide to give it a run.
All souped up,
Robert
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