broccoli beer cheddar soup with spicy sausage breadcrumbs.

did u know: i’m famously not a soup person at all.

it takes a lot of fun add-ins and toppings and whatnot for me to want a soup. like pozole, i’m crazy about that stuff because while it is soup, it is chocked full of texture and flavor, and that’s what it’s all about.

a brothy liquid-only soup, though? 96% of the time, you can count me out. unless its a particularly good creamy tomato for a crunchy ass grilled cheese sammich.

topping city!

this will go on top of your soup and add some nice crunch, a little protein, as well as salty num nums and bright lemon zest to round it out.

also what a clever way to disguise large amounts of broccoli.

even tho broccoli, also famously, does not smell great when cooked, this soup as a whole unit smells cozy and scrumptious.

shout out to my beautiful new green staub dutch oven that i got the most screaming deal i’ve ever experienced on this recent black friday. $82, down from $450….can you even believe.

i have used it so many times already! and i stare at it fondly because it is forced to live on the stove top always.

i prepared myself for what i thought would be a WiLd cabin fever snow storm extravaganza here in seattle this week. turns out to be the saddest dusting of snow ever, but still so pretty to look out at.

snow or no snow, i cannot be stopped in my winter obsession with cooking lately. and i’m loving it. hibernation is real.

Broccoli Beer Cheddar Soup with Spicy Sausage Breadcrumbs

Serves 4-6

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Spicy Sausage Breadcrumb Topping:

• 4 slices toasted sourdough or desired bread, pulsed into breadcrumbs in food processor or blender

• 3 - 4 oz. hot ground sausage

• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

• 1 tsp. red chili flakes

• 2 oz. parmesan cheese, grated

• 1 TB lemon zest

• kosher salt & fresh black pepper, to taste

Broccoli Beer Cheddar Soup:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 large garlic glove, chopped

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups milk (2% milk fat or higher)

• 3/4 cup beer (something lighter with low alcohol - a lager or pale ale)

• 1 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth (or sub 1 1/4 cup of water)

• 3 large sage leaves

• 3-4 cups of broccoli florets, stalks included, plus extra florets for topping.

• 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 TB apple cider vinegar (optional)

• kosher salt & fresh black pepper, to taste

• fresh lemon zest

Instructions-

To make the topping, break up the hot sausage in a large pan over medium heat. Flatten the meat with the back of a wooden spoon to help break down into crumbles for 3-5 minutes until slightly browned. Add the breadcrumbs, red chili flakes, thyme leaves, a big pinch of salt and some black pepper. Continue to break mixture up into bits to brown everything together. Add a drizzle of olive oil if the mixture seems a little dry.

Grate parmesan cheese over the top, and toss to melt. Remove pan from heat and zest a lemon over top, tossing to combine. Set aside.

[*Ideally, you could make the topping while the broccoli is simmering and tenderizing in your soup.]

To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the flour and a pinch of salt, stir everything and continue to brown the onion mixture for a couple minutes. Add the beer, broth (or water) and milk and gently stir as everything comes to a simmer. Add the sage leaves into the hot liquid.

Add the broccoli stems and florets to the pot, stirring occasionally and allowing the broccoli to tenderize for about 10-15 minutes. [*This would be a good time to make the breadcrumb topping!]

Remove pot from heat and let the liquid cool slightly.

Carefully pour liquid into a blender (or just use an immersion blender in your pot) and pulse until broccoli and liquid mixture is smooth. Return to the pot on the stove on low heat.

Give the soup a taste and add heavy pinches of salt to taste. If it needs a bit of a punch-up, add 1 TB of apple cider vinegar on low heat and stir.

Gradually add the grated cheddar cheese and stir between additions to melt. Continue to taste the soup and add salt & freshly cracked black pepper as needed, but not too much since you’ll be adding the salty topping still. As soon as you think you need to add one more pinch of salt at the end, zest a bit of lemon into the soup for a nice bit of brightness and flavor.

Scoop the soup into bowls, and top with additional broccoli florets, grated cheddar, and the spicy sausage breadcrumb topping.

Serve immediately! Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat as needed. For best results, enjoy the soup and the breadcrumb topping within 2-3 days.

qp

carrot ginger parsnip soup with crispy shallots, bacon & goat cheese.

long title soup = extra flavor soup!

this recipe is sort of out of my comfort zone in a few ways...but i have enjoyed it so much! 

i never really fancy just a plain ol' bowl of liquidy soup. i always want some sort of texture or something to chew on. enter crispy shallots, bacon crumbles and chives. and goat cheese for extra creamy flavor.

part 2 of dancing a wee bit outside of my comfort zone is using yellow curry powder in this soup! i weirdly don't really enjoy the flavor or smell of indian curries. i can see why people think its warm and flavorful and delicious, but its just not my cup of tea somehow. i want to like it. in the same way i want to like seafood, but i just don't. wahh.

but! i had some sort of soup last fall with just a touch of curry powder in it, and i felt it made sense. it gave the soup a little something extra without being overpoweringly curry-like. and it worked fabulously in this carrot ginger soup. woo! baby steps, y'all.

um, also... i made this soup way back in octoberrrrrr. the original photos i took were in much bigger bowls and it just didn't make sense at all. you'd nevvver eat that amount of soup in one sitting. it just took me ages to get around to getting much shallower bowls. actually, these are plates, haha! but its the perfect serving size for a rich soup like this.

the good news about my procrastination here is that i know that this soup recipe freezes very well and you can thaw it out months later and jazz it up with all the toppings!

the toppings are really where its at for me. the crispy shallots not only make the kitchen smell AmAhhHhhZiNg, but they taste amahzing with the rich carrot parsnip ginger combo. bacon, because...bacon. chives because, greenery. & the goat cheese is definitely key.

so really...don't skip the goat cheese or the crispy shallots.

they're what make this soup worth soupin'!

how beautiful is the soup with the curry powder and cayenne! ooooh that colouuuuur. ^^^

right now i'm on the mend from my 2nd gum grafts surgery, cuz i'm a g-ma at heart and i prefer walnuts in my brownies and i've always truly loved werther's originals, raisins, and grape nuts. see also: genetics & having had braces a long time and stuff. anyhoo, dental surgeries ain't the most fun.

and this soup has really saved me the last couple days. i can only have verrrrry soft foods for a little while, and apple sauce gets old v v fast. i've been having some of this soup with my go-to goat cheese buy, the TJ's goat cheese trio! specifically, the garlic & herb goat cheese. i heat up some soup in a pan and melt some of the garlic herb goat cheese and stir it in.  i can't have any crunchy delicious toppings right now, but i've been seriously delighted in the deliciousness that is the garlic herb goat cheese + carrot ginger parsnip soup. i think its a lot of sage in the TJ's herby goat cheese, and it REEEEALLY hits the spot. so much flavor. i don't even know who i am getting so freaking excited about soup. 

Carrot, Ginger, & Parsnip Soup with Crispy Shallots, Bacon & Goat Cheese

Time: 45 minutes (Roasting can be done in advance to save time)

Yields about 6 cups of soup

Ingredients:

For the Soup-

• 1.5 pounds organic carrots, washed and peeled (about 8 medium/large carrots)
• 2 medium parsnips, washed and peeled
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 TB. olive oil
• 1 cup 2% milk, or plain milk alternative
• 4 cups water
• 1 TB. white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4" knob of ginger (about 1/3 cup chopped), peeled and chopped, + extra for zesting
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp. yellow curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• chopped chives, for topping

For Crispy Shallots:

• 1 shallot clove, sliced into rings
• 1 TB. olive oil
• 2 TB. flour + pinch of black pepper

Bacon!:

• 4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped into bits

Goat Cheese drizzle:

• 4 TB. goat cheese
• 2 TB. olive oil
• 4 TB. water
• OR: heat the amount of soup you want to serve and melt/stir in your desired amount of goat cheese

Instructions-

For Soup:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wash, peel, and halve the carrots and parsnips. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and a drizzle of olive oil. Spread the carrots and parsnips around the pan. Add another light drizzle of olive oil over the top and season with salt.

Roast the carrots & parsnips for 30 minutes, removing from the oven and flipping them over half way through the roast.  Let them cool about 5 minutes before adding to the food processor.

***While veggies are roasting, cook & chop the bacon, and make the crispy shallots.

Place slightly cooled roasted carrots and parsnips in a large food processor. Add vegetable broth, olive oil, milk, and half the amount of water (2 cups). Run food processor on high speed until the veggies become smooth.

Add vinegar, salt, chopped ginger, garlic clove, curry powder, and cayenne. Run food processor until everything looks smooth and incorporated.

The food processor will be very full at this point. Transfer the soup to a large pan or stock pot on medium/low heat. Add the other 2 cups of water and stir well. 

***For Crispy Shallots:

Heat a small pan to medium/low heat with a TB of olive oil. Peel the exterior off the shallot and discard. Slice the shallot into 1/8 inch thick rings. Add 2 TB of flour and some cracked black pepper to a small bowl. While the shallots are still freshly chopped and wet, coat the rings in the flour/pepper mixture. Add the rings to the heated olive oil. Let them crisp on one side for about 2-3 minutes, then carefully flip to the other side to crisp. They are done when they are browned. Be careful to not let them blacken. Remove from the pan with a fork and let them drain on a paper towel. 

For best results, add a hearty drizzle of goat cheese to the bottom of the soup bowl. Spoon the desired amount of hot carrot soup into the bowl. Top with plenty of goat cheese drizzle, bacon crumbles, crispy shallot rings, and fresh chives. Enjoy!

qp