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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Simple Cheese Soup

Simple Cheese Soup
I've taken the past couple of months off, but I'm back this month with another Blogger Clue Society post. Although life has been busy and strange lately, when I saw that "Soups and Stews" was the theme, I knew I could find time to join in. With more than 100 soup recipes on my blog, you know I'm a bit of a soup addict.

So my assigned blog this month was Sew You Think You Can Cook (cook...cook...cook). Lauren's blog hooked me from the start with that catchy name, and if you watch the tv show with the similar name, I bet you were, too. I also bet you also would have repeated "cook" three times if I hadn't said it out loud. Anyhoo, I found several contenders on Lauren's blog. I zeroed in on her Chicken Tortilla Soup first because, well...tortilla soup is my favorite kind of soup. I even had a year-long quest back in 2010-11 to see if I could find my favorite version of tortilla soup. (I did, but that doesn't stop me from trying any bowl I can get my hands on.)

So I moved on to her Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. Chicken Noodle happens to be one of my ultimate comfort foods, but I've never tried a creamy version. What!? Obviously this wasn't the soup that I wound up making for today, but it is still in my menu plan for the very near future, because I need it in my life.
main ingredients for the cheese soup
The soup that I did decide on was Lauren's Busia's Cheese Soup (Busia being the American word meaning Polish grandmother). Her description of spending time in her grandma's kitchen growing up, and the way this soup invoked those memories was what sold me. Well, that and the fact that I had some Velveeta in the fridge that I didn't know what to do with. But mostly the memories behind the soup.

I made only the slightest changes to the recipe, ones that I don't think affect its integrity at all. Grating the carrot instead of dicing it. Using unsalted stock so that I could season to taste and make note of it (because this simple recipe will make a beautiful soup and soup base for years to come).

Cheese Soup
Creamy and lightly laced with veggies, this simple cheese soup pairs nicely with bread or sandwiches for a light meal.
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Simple Cheese Soup
by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Keywords: soup/stew cheese potatoes carrots American

Ingredients (serves 8-10)
  • 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped small
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk, warm
  • 4 cups unsalted chicken stock , warm
  • 4 medium carrots (~12 ounces), peeled and shredded
  • 4 stalks celery (~8 ounces), chopped small
  • 2 Russet potatoes (~1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 pound Velveeta, cubed
Instructions
Add butter to a 4-quart soup pot set over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and onions and stir until absorbed. Let cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

Add the milk and chicken stock; whisking until incorporated. Bring to a boil, watching carefully so that it doesn't boil over, then add the vegetables, salt and pepper. Once it comes back to the boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
veggies for soup
Stir in the cubes Velveeta a few at a time, letting each addition melt completely before adding more. After all the cheese has melted into the soup, let it cook gently for another minute or so to be sure that everything is hot. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve.
Simple Cheese Soup
The blogger C.L.U.E (Cook, Learn, Undertake, Eat) Society meets every month in a game of mystery, intrigue, and fun! We are given a theme and secretly assigned another member's blog; our mission is to hunt through our assigned blog to find a recipe that fits the theme through our eyes. We then head into the kitchen and recreate the recipe and post together on reveal day!

I'm a lifelong mystery-lover, my favorite board game is CLUE, and I'm a believer that there's no better way to get to know somebody than through food—is there any doubt that I enjoy this event!?

Today is reveal day, and this month's theme is: Soups and Stews. Join me in reading about the food hunted down this month in the #bloggerCLUE member's kitchens!
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