I received a lot of broccoli in one of my CSA deliveries, so I decided a yummy cheese soup was in order.  I looked online to see what I could find and I found lots that had either canned cream of etc. soup in them or cheese whiz/Velveeta.  Um…no.  I try to use the least amount of canned/processed stuff as possible.  This is my version.

4 TBSP butter
4 TBSP flour
6-8 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
4-5 drops Tabasco sauce
4 medium heads of broccolli, cut up in small pieces
2-3 cups cheese (I used a mixture of several different types – cheddar is always good)

Start with melting the butter in a big pot.  Add in the flour and mix around for a few minutes to get that raw flour taste out.  Meanwhile, heat up the milk in the microwave for a few minutes to get the chill off.  Add in the dry mustard and Tabasco.  Now, whisk the milk into the flour, moving constantly to get all the lumps out.  The key is to put about a cup of milk in at a time to get it creamy.  Bring it up to almost a boil and it should thicken nicely.  If you want it thicker put in 6 cups of milk – thinner use 8 cups.  Next add in the broccoli and cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes.  Now slowly add in the cheese and allow to melt.  Mix it in well.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper at the end to taste.  The amount of salt needed will change depending on how salty your cheese may be.

I also sauteed some hot peppers with garlic and added it in with some fresh diced tomatoes for the adults.  It added a nice little kick and punch of flavor.

Eat with some crusty bread and enjoy!