Broccoli Cheese Soup... and Tortillas!

My last blog featured a broccoli dish, too.  I must really like broccoli.  Which surprises me.  I actually do like broccoli!   Broccoli-Cheese Soup is one of my favorite ways to eat it.  It's rich and comforting, fairly easy to make, and has a built-in vegetable.  Ok, that last reason is a bit shaky; the soup is not a health food, but you could do worse.  Cheese chowder with no broccoli, for instance (quite delicious, but another time...).

Broccoli-Cheese Soup (based on the recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 15th ed.)
4 C fresh broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 C chicken broth (I used a can, which is a bit more than that)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp lemon peel
1 C cream
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Begin by steaming the broccoli for 8-10 minutes, until tender.  (I test by jabbing it with a fork.)  Set aside about half the broccoli, making sure that it is in bite-sized pieces.  Combine the remaining broccoli with half the chicken broth in a food processor.  Process until smooth, and set aside.
In a large pot, melt the butter and add flour to make a roux.  Add the lemon peel, 1/4 tsp salt, and a dash of pepper as well.  Add the cream all at once, but slowly and while stirring.  Yes, lumps will probably dissolve, but try to minimize them anyway.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, and then 1 minute more.  Add the broccoli/broth purée, reserved broccoli, remaining broth, and 1 1/2 C cheese.  Cook and stir until heated through.  Consistency can be adjusted by adding more milk and/or broth; be sure to check the seasoning.

Serve topped with additional cheese.
Notes:  BHG has only 1 C of broccoli set aside to be added more or less intact.  I found that I wanted less broccoli purée and more chunks of it, and have adjusted accordingly.  I also used about twice as much cheese as the recipe initially called for.  I love cheese.  It made for a very rich soup, and I did add extra broth to thin it some.  As I made it, the recipe was enough for 6 dinner servings.  

There are simple ways of doing things and complicated ways.  I tend to enjoy the complicated way.  One can, for example, serve tortillas by opening a package, stacking them in a microwave and warming them up.  Or, one can do it the complicated way: make fresh tortillas from scratch.  Advantage of first way:  20 seconds tops.  Advantage of complicated way:  tastier.  The tortillas I make from scratch are a bit thicker/fluffier, softer, and vaguely reminiscent of pancakes.  They are an excellent staple-- great by themselves, great for quesadillas, and wonderful with curries.  Although time-consuming, the ingredients are simple and easy to find.  They are probably not the most authentic thing I've ever made (no corn, for starters), but when you serve them with soup or curry, that's not really a big deal, is it?

Homemade Tortillas

3 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4-6 Tbsp shortening (crisco, margarine, or butter will all work)

3/4 C water
Grease for cooking (oil or butter)

Combine all ingredients into a thick dough.  Divide into small pieces (about a hand-full of dough) and roll out flat.  Rolled-out tortillas can be stacked prior to cooking, but be sure to put down some flour between the tortillas.  I've found that if your dough tends to contract, you can let it rest for a bit then roll it again.  I've also had some luck with holding it by the edges and letting gravity stretch it immediately before cooking.

To cook the tortillas, grease either a pan or a griddle.  For best flavor, don't skimp on the grease.  You don't need to go crazy-- we used a silicon brush to coat the pan with canola oil, which probably came to about 1/2 tsp of oil per tortilla in a 9-inch pan.  And yes, grease between each tortilla.  Cook over medium-high heat until the tortilla has browned spots on the bottom (lift to check), then flip and repeat for the other side.

The cooking is probably the most time-consuming aspect of this recipe, which is why using a griddle instead of a pan can be very convenient-- you can cook more than one tortilla at a time.  Using the pan and relatively low heat, it took us about an hour to cook all the tortillas.  (I sacrificed time to ensure no burning, but toward the end upped the heat to med-high with no adverse results, so that's what I recommended above.)