November is a great month. Halloween gives us the sugar rush needed to get us started on all the upcoming events & holidays. There are 3 family birthdays in November & Thanksgiving and then we are into the mad dash leading up to Christmas. It’s a crazy & festive time of year around here and I look forward to it!
But the weather has also changed. There’s little chance of any Indian Summer weather here in the Northern Hemisphere. Then there’s the wind. It starts seriously blowing in November, making this month the second windiest month behind January. Not exactly a good selling point for November. And there is always the possibility of snow. I don’t like to think about that at all. Instead, I start planning all the wonderful soups we’ll be making over the next 3-4 months to keep us warm. We usually make big pots of our favorite soups and freeze them in small batches. That ensures there’s always some great soup available, even during the busiest time of the year!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup (adapted from food.com) Serves 6
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken stock or bouillon
- 1/2 pound broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped (3-4 ounces)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
directions
Sauté the onion in the olive oil. Set it aside. Stir together the melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
The roux for thickening the soup.
Stirring constantly, add in the chicken stock slowly. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add in the liquid portion.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions to the stock and roux. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender and the soup thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
The finely chopped veggies go into the pot.
Add salt and pepper. Take the soup off the heat and use a wand blender to homogenize it. Return the pot to low heat and add the grated cheese; stirring until it is all well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.
Just add some bread to complete the meal!
The recipe can easily be doubled to stock the freezer or feed a crowd with tremendous soup! ~Linda