Nov 01, 2010
A few simple changes easily elevated this 3-star recipe to 4-stars, and darned near to perfect. To begin with, as I was measuring out the carrots, I stopped at about 1/4 cup, thinking that using a full cup of carrots would be waaaaay too much. I filled the remainder of the 1-cup measuring cup with celery and we loved the addition/substitution. With not much in the way of diverse and complex flavors going on here, I thought it was important to make the very most of the flavors I DID have - namely, substituting a good chicken broth for the water and chicken bouillion called for and adding fresh minced garlic to the onions as they were being sweated out. Finely, while straight Cheddar is inarguably the best for flavor, replacing half of it with processed cheese (i.e. Velveeta) ensures a rich creaminess that is virtually guaranteed not to break down and separate. Several good shakes of salt and freshly ground pepper and we were rewarded with a rich, creamy, flavorful and comforting broccoli cheese soup. I garnished it with a crostini topped with a sprinkle of grated Cheddar cheese and a tiny broccoli floret. This, along with "Greek Chicken Wraps," also from this site, was a nourishing, easy, and laid back supper.
—naples34102
