Aged white cheddar and broccoli soup with chorizo
I am one of those parents who flood their Facebook page with pictures of my children. Yes, I鈥檓聽that聽person. Everyone knows at least one these people. For my friends, it鈥檚 me. My Facebook wall reads like most parents鈥� baby books 鈥� full of photos, videos, firsts, favorites, and funny anecdotes. (They鈥檙e funny to me, at least.) And my profile pictures are mostly pictures of my kids, rather than of myself.
I have heard comments such as聽You are not your kids, in regards to this issue. And it鈥檚 true. I am my own person. I am聽not聽my kids 鈥� at least not completely. But the truth is, my children are a huge part of me. They are the very best representation of me. They are my finest creation and my life鈥檚 grandest purpose. If I do nothing else of importance during the rest of my life, I can rest easy in knowing that I grew, loved, and nurtured these precious little people.
Why wouldn鈥檛 I associate part of my identity with that of my children? Aren鈥檛 we all little bits of every person and every event we鈥檝e experienced. And don鈥檛 we all continue to change as our lives change courses? Why wouldn鈥檛 my children shape me in the same way that I shape them? Why wouldn鈥檛 my children be irreversibly intertwined with my identity?
At this point in my life, perhaps for always and forever, my children are the center of my world. They are my passion and my motivation. They are at least as much a part of me as my love of cooking, my fear of failure, or my passion for bacon.
And in my children鈥檚 eyes, I see the me I strive to be. In their eyes, I am love. I am security. I am healing. I am their mom.聽I have never felt more beautiful than the way I look in my children鈥檚 eyes. I聽am聽in those profile pictures I post of my children. I鈥檓 right there, in their eyes.
This soup is beautiful in聽my聽eyes. I may make it my facebook profile pic. It鈥檚 broccoli cheddar soup for grown-ups. Spicy chorizo gives the soup a smokey bit of heat, while the aged white cheddar (get the good stuff) adds intense cheesy flavor. There鈥檚 nothing like eating a big bowl of cheesy soup on a chilly winter day. Ultra-comforting.
Enjoy, friends.
Aged white cheddar and broccoli soup with chorizo
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces spicy Spanish chorizo, halved and sliced
1 small onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk (skim milk works well)
8 ounces aged white cheddar, shredded
3 cups broccoli, steamed until tender and well chopped
about 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for a few minutes, until the chorizo begins to release its oil.
2. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and continue cooking for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
3. Add the milk and whisk until well combined. Bring the milk to a simmer as you continue whisking. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until the milk begins to thicken.
4. Turn down the heat and stir in the cheese. Continue stirring until melted. Stir in the broccoli. Season with salt, to taste.
