Broccoli Turns Into a Creamy Soup

Broccoli has sometimes had a bad reputation. Remember former President George H.W. Bush’s broccoli comments at a press conference nearly 21 years ago? “I do not like broccoli, and I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli. … Barbara loves broccoli. She has tried to make me eat it.”

Perhaps the former president needed a recipe from the cookbook The Bells are Ringing: A Call to Table, a collection of recipes compiled by the Mission San Juan Capistrano Women’s Guild. The 2007 award-winning cookbook includes four recipes to prepare broccoli, including cream of broccoli soup. The cookbook has netted about $162,000, which goes to mission preservation. 

Broccoli from any of the produce vendors at the San Juan Capistrano Farmers’ Market will lay the groundwork for the soup. The cookbook recipe has what may seem to be a surprise ingredient: Velveeta cheese—all the better to enjoy your broccoli.

As a member of the cabbage family, broccoli is a close relative of cauliflower.  The nutrition value of a half cup of fresh broccoli is 15 calories, 0 g fat, 21 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugar and 1 g protein. The vegetable also contains vitamins A and C and calcium and iron, according to "Harvest of the Month," published by the California Department of Public Health’s Network for a Healthy California.

Ingredients:

2 tbs minced onion
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 tbs dry mustard
1/4  tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 to 3 cups drained cooked broccoli
1 cup (4 oz.) cubed Velveeta cheese

Directions:

Sauté the onion in the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook until bubbly. Stir in the milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper gradually, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the broccoli. Pour into a food processor and process until smooth. Return to the saucepan and add the cheese. Cook over low heat until the cheese melts and the soup is heated through, stirring to mix well. Ladle into soup bowls. 

Note: You can substitute cauliflower or asparagus for the broccoli in this recipe. It can be prepared in advance and reheated to serve. Serves 4 to 6.