Dennis Prescott

Fall is here. Soup is on.

I don’t know about y’all, but when Fall decides to show is red leafy, chilly, delicious face, all I crave is soup. And a big fat piece of crusty bread, dunking away for days. It’s soul satisfying in the very best of ways.

You guys having a great week? Yes? Good. Me too.

We’re rocking away with kitchen renovation here, and actually started construction this week. Our kitchen project to date has been a lot of decisions, more decisions, and then a lot of waiting on suppliers to ship cabinets and countertops and all that jazz. But this week we installed a (HUGE) window in the kitchen, right above the sink. Natural light heaven. When we wake up in the morning there is gorgeous beaming light coming into the kitchen, and my heart couldn’t be happier.

Also, if you haven’t ventured into the world of DIY renos yet, I highly recommend it. Money saved, and a TON of satisfaction is knowing you completely a project all by yourself. Super cool feeling.

I have a couple go-to soup dishes that I love. Hard to beat a curried butternut squash bowl of happiness in our house. A very close second would be a broccoli cheddar soup. It’s as nostalgic for us as hot chocolate at a hockey game, and just screams Fall. For a little extra added depth of flavour I’ve added mushrooms and herbs de provence to this soup. Seriously comforting business. Give it a go.

Cream of Broccoli Mushroom & Old Cheddar Soup

Serves 4

1 large garlic clove, minced

½ cup shallots

3 cups mushrooms (button or cremini work great), sliced thin

3 cups broccoli florets

1 teaspoon herbs de provence

4 cups chicken (or veggie) stock

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 cup old cheddar cheese, grated

1 tablespoon butter

½ + ¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Olive oil, for drizzling

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. When melted, sauté the minced garlic for 45 seconds. Add your shallots and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the mushrooms, herbs de Provence, and ¼ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the stock, broccoli, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8 minutes, until the broccoli is soft and the stock has reduced slightly. Blend in a blender (or hand blender).

Return to the saucepan, pour in cream and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in grated cheese.

Portion out into serving bowls, and top with a drizzle of olive oil & cream. Serve warm with some crusty bread.