Broccoli Cheese Soup

The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and it's the perfect time for some soup!

After having visited Panera for the 1st time when in Knoxville, TN for a UT football game, I discovered my love of broccoli cheese soup. Since that visit I have been trying to find a recipe that is as close as possible to their delicious, soul warming, recipe but of course, they are not going to just come out and tell us their secret.

So after much research and trial and error I think I have found my "copycat" recipe of Panera's soup.

Hope you enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
4 cups chicken stock
1 lb broccoli, fresh or frozen
2 cups carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
16 ounces grated cheddar cheese (sharp or mild)
salt and pepper, to taste

1) Saute onion and minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of melted butter

2) Add 1/4 cup of butter to sauteed onions and add flour. Whisk in flour and let it set over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir in half-and-half, stir constantly for about 3 minutes until well mixed.

3) Next add in 4 cups of chicken stock, whisk together. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4) While mixture is simmering, add broccoli and carrots into a food processor and chop. (At this point you can decide to have a fine chop on your vegetables or just give the food processor a few pulses to create a course chop)

5) Once you have chopped your vegetables to your liking, add to simmering mixture. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.

6) Remove from heat. Add nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper for taste. Added cheese and return to heat just until cheese is melted.

My Southern Roots

My love of cooking began many generations ago when my ancestors settled in the south. The earliest memories of true Southern cooking I have are from my mother's parents, Delma Aileen Ragan (Wall) and William Earl Ragan, otherwise known as Mammy and Dada. My grandfather was a WWII veteran who vowed when he returned from the war to never leave his home again and that was a promise he kept. He and my grandmother settled down in the little community of Woods Valley in Dickson County, Tennessee.

Dada tended to his black angus cattle farm and a huge garden full of wonderful fruits and vegetables that I enjoyed helping him pick/ dig up as a child. One of my most fond memories with my grandfather was picking raspberries and blackberries the plentiful bushes he grew; I was supposed to put them in the pail my grandmother had given me but I instead decided it was more fun to eat the delicious berries. My grandfather came around the corner to see what I was doing, had a great chuckle and told me, "Keep picking the berries Red, Mammy is going to be making homemade preserves." When hearing this I stopped my munching and started picking again.

 I may be bias but in the time I spent out at my grandparents, I thoroughly enjoyed the blackberry preserves my grandmother made; I did not like to eat any someone else had made. We had a tradition every morning for breakfast, you were to mix your butter and preserves together and spread that yummy goodness over your toast. As I grew up I always enjoyed our breakfast morning tradition, it was not until I was in college did I realize how much the little things I did with my grandmother meant so much to me. During my freshman year of college I was homesick and all I wanted was to be close to my family. I took a trip to the grocery and picked up a jar of blackberry preserves...granted it was NOT my grandmother's but it would do the trick to sooth my aching heart.

Speaking of my grandmother, my Mammy was the greatest cook of all time. She was one of those cooks who did not leave a recipe book for her children and grandchildren to fight over having the prized family recipes. She cooked from her heart and her soul. I can remember as a child pulling up a chair to the kitchen counter and standing in the chair to see what I could do to help with dinner (known to other folks as lunch) or supper (dinner).

My other inspiration for cooking has been my mother, Pam. Mammy and Dada did a wonderful job raising such a wonderful person who I get to call my mom. She taught me that cooking is fun, not something you have to do. Without her encouragement to continue to experiment with cooking I probably would not love cooking as much as I do.

So to finish off my story, I hope you enjoy my blog about the food I love to cook. I don't feel like I have to cook a certain way to please; my food is cooked from the love in my heart and the fire in my belly to enjoy my creations!! Hope you enjoy the recipes and stories I share, please share with your family any recipes you love, that's how we make memories that are cherish forever.

-Emily