Soup Duo - Broccoli Cheddar Cheese and Tuscan Tomato & White Bean
I had a visitor for a couple of days during the long weekend and we had planned for a fun day on Friday, in spite of the rain.
We were going to see the Liam Neeson movie, "Non Stop", after enjoying some dim sum for a late lunch. The dim sum was disappointing, to put it as kindly as possible, and we blew off the movie and shoe shopping I had planned for afterwards. In order that the day not be a COMPLETE waste, and with a few pieces of KFC chicken for supper to fill me up, a treat from my visitor, I decided to make a batch of walnut Baklava. A lovely end for a disastrous day.
On Saturday, my visitor was out for the day and had late lunch/early supper plans so I defrosted and cooked an 8 1/2 pound smoked picnic ham and, after cutting it up into portions for future use, ate a couple of ham sandwiches for supper by myself. Although I was a good girl on Friday, and only ate one piece of baklava, I made up for it on Saturday and had a couple of pieces with lunch and a couple more after supper. Luckily, most of the rest of the tray of baklava was sent home with my departing visitor.
So, on Sunday, to make up for all the indulgence, I decided to use up some of the reserved ham broth, cooling in the fridge. I removed and discard the congealed fat from the top and used the strained broth for two healthy soups, which both started in the same way: with olive oil, diced red onion and finely minced garlic as a flavour base and ham broth as the main liquid base. The rest of the ingredients gave me two very different soups.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup - serves 4
2 tbsp regular olive oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp finely minced garlic
2 tbsp regular olive oil (or melted butter)
2 tbsp flour
3 cups ham broth ( or water, vegetable stock or chicken stock)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 lb fresh broccoli (about 1 cup), cut into florets and stems peeled and diced
1 cup carrot, shredded
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste, starting with 1/2 tsp
NOTE: The original recipe called for equal parts (2 cups) chicken stock and half and half but, since I didn't have any half and half, but I DID have whipping cream, I made the substitution above. The soup was supposed to be much thicker with a roux made of 1/4 cup each olive oil and flour but I made a mistake and used half the amount of each. It was still a great soup,
Mise en place
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until they just start to get some colour. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the stock and whipping cream. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrots. Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
For a smoother soup puree it in a blender.
Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve.
Tuscan Tomato & White Bean Soup
Tuscan Tomato & White Bean Soup - serves 8
2 tbsp regular olive oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 or 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced or a splash of fish sauce (omit if you wish)
3 cups ham broth (or water, vegetable stock or chicken stock)
1 large can, (796 mls, 3 cups) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
~ 1/4 tsp sugar, or as needed
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cans (400 mls, 2 1/4 cups) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and drained again
salt and pepper to taste, starting with 1/2 tsp of each
Garnishes at end
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Finely grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
NOTE: As I still have a lot of dried cannellini beans in my pantry, I soaked 1 cup of dried beans overnight, and then drained and cooked them in fresh water the next day until they were tender. I discarded the cooking liquid since I was going to use the ham broth as the liquid base of the soup.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and dried rosemary
Reserve 1/3 of the white beans, then add the remainder to the soup. Stir to combine and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes. (Taste the broth and if it seems a bit sour, depending on the brand of tomatoes used, add a pinch or two of sugar at a time, tasting again until it's to your taste.)
Remove from the heat and puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion (stick) blender.
Return the soup to the saucepan if you used a regular blender, and add the reserved white beans to the soup to heat them through.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley. Serve the soup sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
We were going to see the Liam Neeson movie, "Non Stop", after enjoying some dim sum for a late lunch. The dim sum was disappointing, to put it as kindly as possible, and we blew off the movie and shoe shopping I had planned for afterwards. In order that the day not be a COMPLETE waste, and with a few pieces of KFC chicken for supper to fill me up, a treat from my visitor, I decided to make a batch of walnut Baklava. A lovely end for a disastrous day.
On Saturday, my visitor was out for the day and had late lunch/early supper plans so I defrosted and cooked an 8 1/2 pound smoked picnic ham and, after cutting it up into portions for future use, ate a couple of ham sandwiches for supper by myself. Although I was a good girl on Friday, and only ate one piece of baklava, I made up for it on Saturday and had a couple of pieces with lunch and a couple more after supper. Luckily, most of the rest of the tray of baklava was sent home with my departing visitor.
So, on Sunday, to make up for all the indulgence, I decided to use up some of the reserved ham broth, cooling in the fridge. I removed and discard the congealed fat from the top and used the strained broth for two healthy soups, which both started in the same way: with olive oil, diced red onion and finely minced garlic as a flavour base and ham broth as the main liquid base. The rest of the ingredients gave me two very different soups.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup - serves 4
2 tbsp regular olive oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp finely minced garlic
2 tbsp regular olive oil (or melted butter)
2 tbsp flour
3 cups ham broth ( or water, vegetable stock or chicken stock)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 lb fresh broccoli (about 1 cup), cut into florets and stems peeled and diced
1 cup carrot, shredded
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste, starting with 1/2 tsp
NOTE: The original recipe called for equal parts (2 cups) chicken stock and half and half but, since I didn't have any half and half, but I DID have whipping cream, I made the substitution above. The soup was supposed to be much thicker with a roux made of 1/4 cup each olive oil and flour but I made a mistake and used half the amount of each. It was still a great soup,
Mise en place
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until they just start to get some colour. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the stock and whipping cream. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrots. Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
For a smoother soup puree it in a blender.
Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve.
Tuscan Tomato & White Bean Soup
Tuscan Tomato & White Bean Soup - serves 8
2 tbsp regular olive oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 or 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced or a splash of fish sauce (omit if you wish)
3 cups ham broth (or water, vegetable stock or chicken stock)
1 large can, (796 mls, 3 cups) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
~ 1/4 tsp sugar, or as needed
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cans (400 mls, 2 1/4 cups) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and drained again
salt and pepper to taste, starting with 1/2 tsp of each
Garnishes at end
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Finely grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
NOTE: As I still have a lot of dried cannellini beans in my pantry, I soaked 1 cup of dried beans overnight, and then drained and cooked them in fresh water the next day until they were tender. I discarded the cooking liquid since I was going to use the ham broth as the liquid base of the soup.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and dried rosemary
Reserve 1/3 of the white beans, then add the remainder to the soup. Stir to combine and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes. (Taste the broth and if it seems a bit sour, depending on the brand of tomatoes used, add a pinch or two of sugar at a time, tasting again until it's to your taste.)
Remove from the heat and puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion (stick) blender.
Return the soup to the saucepan if you used a regular blender, and add the reserved white beans to the soup to heat them through.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley. Serve the soup sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.