Broccoli & Cheese Soup

See my yummy broccoli & cheese soup, neatly packaged in individual portions to be frozen for future use.

My freezer is getting filled with little baggies of soup, so in the winter, when my CSA is done, I can still have fresh(ish) veggies.  Also makes "instant dinners", as opposed to buying TV dinners at the store.  I just have to come home, thaw the bag in a bowl of warm water (or, if you're impatient, in a pot of water on the stove) and ta-da! soup!  Bagging up soups and sauces can be hard, but I've come up with a pretty good method:

• Wait for your soup to be cool enough to handle before trying to bag.
• Label your portion-size baggies with the contents & date.  You may think you'll be able to tell everything apart, but in a few months, you'll lose track.  A sandwich bag is perfect size for soup for 1 person or pasta sauce for 2.  Quart could probably be good for 3-4.  Gallon for family.
• Find a reusable container that you can fit your baggie into and fold the edges of the bag around the top.  I use a small deli-tub.
• One at a time, set the baggies in the container, folding the zipper edges over the top of the container and ladle in your soup.  Leave some breathing room at the top.
• Be sure the zipper area is clean before closing.  Also a good idea to clean off the outside of the bag.
• Freeze and enjoy later!

Now, for my recipe of broccoli and cheese soup.  I did a bit of searching online on AllRecipes to find ideas for this soup as I've never made it before.  I just wanted to know about what ingredients.  All the recipes on there called for frozen broccoli and processed cheese, so I ventured into the realm of the unknown, cooking this soup with fresh, natural broccoli from my CSA and real cheese.  Here's my recipe for about 4-5 decent size servings of broccoli & cheese soup.

You'll need:

• One big head of broccoli
• a few garlic scapes (maybe 3-4).  These are something I'd never used until I got a CSA and I haven't seen them in the stores (but I live in a small town).  If you don't have them, I'd add a few leeks and a couple cloves garlic or maybe some red onion in place of the leeks.
• Radish greens from half a bunch of radishes.  Again, something I hadn't used until the CSA, but are a great green for bulking up soups.  A bit of a rough texture, so cooking them down is crucial for enjoyment.  These you can get if you buy your radishes as a bunch with the greens still attached.
• half pint of half & half
• about a half cup of milk (I use skim)
• 3 or so cups of cheese.  I use whatever's in my fridge & needs using.  This time, a bit of taco blend cheese, a little bit of mozzarella, and a lot of cheddar.  Aged cheddar would certainly be delicious.
• 1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons vegetable bouillon.  I use vegetable because that's what I have, but be warned, it's pretty salty.  If you use chicken or beef, you may need to add salt.
• 2 heaping tablespoons flour
• paprika to taste
• pepper to taste

The steps:

• Cut the broccoli into little flourets
• Dice the garlic scapes (or onions or leeks.  Mince garlic if you don't have the scapes)
• Sauté broccoli, radish greens, and garlic scapes in a pan with butter or margarine until just tender.  Don't overcook your broccoli!
• In a separate pot, heat half & half until hot all the way through
• Add cheese and flour and stir quickly to combine
• Once combined, add as much milk as need be to thin it out a bit.
• Add 2 tablespoons vegetable bouillon and stir
• Once all of these ingredients are combined, add in broccoli, radish greens, and garlic scapes and stir into cheese mixture.
• Add pepper and paprika to taste.  

Possible modifications:

• Use other veggies in place of the ones I have listed
• Add some beer early in the process.  Something light and cheap will do just fine.
• Use fancier cheeses than "whatever's in the fridge".  I think a nice aged cheddar would be great and maybe with some parmesan.  

So, there you go, cook away!