Again, mostly for a co-worker of shmoo’s, but feel free to take/use/etc.

3 cups Fresh Broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
4tbs flour (mix and dissolved in 1/4 water)
2 cups milk
1-2 tbs butter
1-2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste.

In a big pot…
Combine water and broccoli. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low/medium and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes.

While that’s going, in a small bowl, add flour/water mixture milk and stir.

After the 15 minutes is up, pour the flour/water/milk into the pot along with adding the butter and the grated cheese.
Add the Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper now also. I generally go heavy on the Pepper and very light on the salt.

Cook on low/medlow about 10 minutes til the cheese is all melted and soup thickens.

Continue to simmer until ready to eat, but do not allow to boil.
And that’s pretty much it.

Notes:
The first time I made it, I accidentally did double the amount of cheese that I should have, and it was VERY VERY cheesy, but still quite good. I’ve toned it back a bit since then. I’ve also sauteed onions and added those in, and imagine leeks, small bits of potato, and cauliflower would go just as well. Depends on how fancy you want to get. Speaking of fancy, I’ve subbed half my milk with Half n Half also, and that’s quite good as well. It adds a good bit of richness to the soup overall.

Our favorite cheese to use for this is a smoked cheddar from Sweetvalley Farms in Tennessee, but any good cheddar you love will do. You could always use regular cheddar and add a bit of liquid smoke if you wanted a smokey cheese taste. Generally when I make this I do it in double batches, as it’s a nice comfort food type of meal, and when I had to go to Canada for a week last month, it kept shmoo in meals quite easily. I haven’t tested yet to see how well it freezes, but probably will next time I make it.

This is for shmoo’s coworkers, but the rest of you can feel free to try it too. :)

Fry a piece or two of bacon in your pan. Get it nice and crispy.
Towards the end of the frying, put around half a onion, diced into the pan as well, and let it start to brown.
Remove the bacon when it’s done and set aside to cool and dry.

Turn down to medium heat.
Place halved Brussels Sprouts in the pan cut half down. Scooch the onions out of the way if you need to, and if there isn’t enough bacon fat in the pan, add some butter. When all the halves are face down in the pan, add a bit of stock to the pan, about halfway up the sprouts, and let it cook down until the stock is basically gone and the sprouts have started to brown on the bottom and get a little crispy, but not all moisture is gone from the pan.

Remove from heat.
Crumble the bacon you set aside earlier and add to pan.
Add a bit of coarse pepper, and possibly a bit of salt, to your tastes.
Throw in a handful of dried cranberries and stir.
Now sprinkle on about half a handful of grated Parmesan and serve.

Notes:
If you don’t have stock, don’t use bouillon to make it, it makes it WAY too salty, just use water and throw in a bit of extra butter for flavor.
A coworker highly recommends trying this with shallots and walnuts and more butter instead of with onions and cranberries. I think I’ll be giving it a try next time we do them.