My mom is an excellent cook. In particular she is an excellent intuitive cook. When we were kids we’d compliment her on a meal and she’d say “Well, enjoy it because you’ll never have it again.” Because she’d totally just made it up on the fly.

This was on my mind today when I decided to make Broccoli & Cheddar soup.

Until the other day—when my daughter got a cup of said soup from a questionable-looking crock at Stop & Shop—I hadn’t thought of Broccoli & Cheddar soup since the 90’s when they used to serve it in bread bowls at restaurants that specialized (weirdly) in soup served in bread bowls. Back then, I refused to eat it because it was trendy, and the bread bowls seemed wasteful. But in hindsight, I can see how Broccoli & Cheese soup might actually be delicious.

I whipped up a batch in no time and it was really good. So good that I wish I’d measured. Alas, I’ll have to enjoy it because… I may not ever have it again.

Here’s what I recommend if you’d like to try it, yours might come out delicious too, you never know!

• Broccoli & Cheddar Soup•
edited to me more precise on 12/6/19

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, divided
2 small shallots, minced
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
Salt
Water
Flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk (approx)
1-1/2 cups grated white cheddar (approx – when in doubt use more)
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in an enamel pot and sautée two minced shallots in that butter until soft. To the shallots and butter, add a small head of broccoli, chopped into floret-sized chunks, stems and all. Sautée that for a couple of minutes then added a good amount of salt and about half an inch of water (ie: add water to the pan until you’ve got 1/2 an inch). Cover and let simmer over low heat.

To make a simple bechamel, add 3 tablespoons butter to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add a heaping soup spoon full (about 2 tablespoons) of flour and mix it for a minute. Then, add a cup and a half of warmed whole milk, turn the heat to medium-low and stir until thickened (less than 5 minutes). 

Grate a cup and a half of sharp white cheddar and add it to the bechamel with some salt, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne. Stir together till smooth. Add the cheese sauce to your broccoli and water. Turn off the heat and blend with a hand blender, until the big chunks are gone.

Serve with a pinch of cayenne for color. Also wonderful with homemade croutons!