As we all know, the weather has been exceptionally cold recently. In fact, just a month ago, we here in Texas experienced a weekend that has been dubbed "the icepocalypse." And from what I hear, things continue to be hoary across the whole of the US.
It's almost like it's winter or something. I guess the Starks were right, huh?
Well, when the weather turns chilly, I turn to the kinds of foods that keep you warm on the inside, such as good tea and hot chocolate. But man can not live on tea alone (no matter how hard he tries...) so that means we need some kind of warming comfort food. Lo and behold: soup! There's just something intrinsically comforting about a piping hot bowl of savory soup on a frigid day. You can just feel the wholesome warmth spread through you with each spoonful.
This method actually comes from my sister, who developed it when she was in high school. It's super delicious and super easy, so I thought I would present it to all of you, dear readers, as a F.E.A.S.T!
Without further ado, let us begin!
THE INGREDIENTS!!!
1 stick of butter (stock)
1 medium yellow onion, diced ($1.0)
3/4 cup flour (stock)
5 cups chicken broth ($3.0) (obtained from one 32oz box and one 14.5oz can)
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli ($1.5)
16oz Velvetta cheese, chopped small (I bought a $6 32oz block and used half, so... call it $3.0?)
The final price on all of this? Oh, something like $8.50 for a whole pot of soup guaranteed to fill you up and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. C'mon, you have to admit that's a pretty sweet deal.
THE METHOD!!!
Pour the chicken broth into a large pot set over medium heat. Add the frozen broccoli and bring it to a bare simmer.
Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat. Bring the heat up to medium and add your onion. Sweat the onion for about 10min., or until it turns translucent and starts to pick up a little color. Add the flour 1/4cup at a time, stirring to incorporate fully. (The goal here is to make a basic roux, which will act as a thickening agent to make the soup nice and luscious.)
Add said concoction to the pot of chicken stock and broccoli, and stir until all the flour clumps are gone and the liquid turns a pale off-white color. Do NOT let the soup boil, or the whole thing will turn grainy and gross.
Add the cheese a handful of chunks at a time, stirring to incorporate. When the cheese has all melted, add in the next bunch. Once the cheese is all melted, season with fresh black pepper and serve with some crusty bread. If you aren't serving right away, put a pat of butter on the surface to melt (it prevents a skin from forming).
That's it.
There now, didn't I say this was super easy? Let's check our anagram:
Fast: From beginning to end, chopping onions to consuming, this whole process took about 45 minutes. And I made frosting at the same time. And did a load of laundry. No, seriously.
Easy: Ummm, yeah, totally.
Affordable: See above, regarding "totally."
Super Tasty: Ok, I know what some of you are thinking: Velvetta? Really? But trust me, this stuff is made for a method like this. You can do it with real cheddar (I have) but somehow it doesn't seem to work as well. So Velvetta it is. Oh, don't look at me like that, just try it... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
The other nice thing about this recipe is that it's versatile. Want it strictly vegetarian? Use veggie stock instead. Want it spicy? Sure, add some hot sauce or peppers to the mix. Don't like broccoli? Well, OK, I can't help you there; it is broccoli cheese soup after all. Oh, just try it already, I promise it's good!
Oh, one last thing: if you have any leftovers (ha!), let the soup cool to room temp, then pour into quart-size Ziploc freezer bags. Lay it out flat in you freezer and let it harden. To reheat, bring a pot of water to just below a simmer. Once the water's heated, place the soup bag (still sealed please!) in the pot. The water will thaw and reheat the soup in about 15 minutes or so. And it'll be just as good as before!
I hope you all enjoyed reading about this tasty, tasty soup. And I hope some of you will try it out and let me know what you think of it. As always, comments are appreciated.
Thanks again everyone! Go forth and eat well!
