Sunday, I made a batch of broccoli cheddar soup. New recipe, designed for those on Keto, and to do one batch, I had to get enough ingredients to do two batches. Works for me on more than one level, and it gave me the chance to experiment. The first batch was okay, but not quite where I wanted to be. Today, I made a batch with a slightly modified recipe, and then I added a Morroccan-style chicken to it.
Ingredients
1/4 white onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups chopped fresh broccoli
2 cups heavy cream
16 oz. block of extra sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz. block of sharp cheddar, grated
salt
smoked salt
pepper
sweet and hot smoked paprika (optional)
1t Zanthan gum (optional)
Directions:
Sweat the onion, celery, and garlic (add salt and pepper to it as you start, I use a bit of smoked salt to add to the flavor) over medium heat until soft. Add the two cups of stock, put lid in place, and let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Then, add in the broccoli, re-cover, and simmer over medium heat for an additional 10 minutes. Add the heavy cream, stir, re-cover, and simmer an additional 10 minutes on slightly reduced heat. Add grated cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until dissolved, repeat step many times. If you are going to use the Zanthan Gum to thicken, take some of the soup and use it to make a slurry with it, then add it to the soup. Re-cover and let simmer for another ten minutes. Taste, adjust as needed, and add smoked paprika at this point.
PRO TIP: don’t try to use pre-shredded cheese from the store. The agents they use to keep it from caking will prevent it from dissolving. If you are melting cheese, always grate it yourself.
Today, I used the above, and added to it with the broccoli some diced chicken thighs that I had coated with olive oil, salt, pepper, smoked pepper, and Ras El Hanout, then cooked up before I started the soup. Plan to experiment more with chicken and Ras as I really liked how it tasted. The chicken I did today really seems to work very well with the soup, making it into a complete meal (IMO).
Enjoy.