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Ideas on broccoli cheese soup

9 years ago

I made broccoli cheese soup tonight. It was good but, both my husband & I thought it had a slightly bitter taste. What would cause this? The broccoli did not seem to be old. I used a chicken stock in a box that I never used before. Could that have been it?

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Comments (12)

ritaweeda
9 years ago
Funny, the exact same thing happened to me a few months ago when I tried to make it. But I was winging it, don't remember exactly how I went about making it.
party_music50
9 years ago
First thought was that the broccoli had been sprayed with something and it didn't get washed off. :p Next thought was garlic that had burned. Next thought was some other vegetable added that wasn't fully mature.

What was the recipe??? :)
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Here's mine. You can't tell there's sweet potato in it, but it gives a nice colour. There is no thickener necessary. I usually used evaporated skim milk instead of cream to save on fat calories. Broccoli-Cheddar Soup Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine Ingredients 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups half-and-half 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 bay leaf Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cups chopped broccoli florets 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups) Croutons, for topping (optional) Directions Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 tablespoons water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain. When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth, leaving the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape (or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender). Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired. I used 1 cup of half and half and one cup of skim and 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar and used more like 4 cups of broccoli. DidnÃ¯Â¿Â½t bother with the croutons. Made 6 generous servings although the following is based on 4 servings: Per serving: Calories 589; Fat 34 g (Saturated 18 g); Cholesterol 97 mg; Sodium 931 mg; Carbohydrate 50 g; Fiber 8 g; Protein 22 g
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Hi Terri. When Will had first gotten his elastics on his teeth, I found this recipe that we all liked very much. Not exactly what you're asking for, but shouldn't be too hard to adapt, I'd think... Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1/4 cup melted butter 1/4 cup flour 2 cups half-and-half 2 cups chicken stock or bouillon 1/2 pound fresh broccoli 1 cup carrots, julienned salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar Directions: Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.
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I cut up the veggies and put the onions ( I use onion) in a heavy pan I use my 8 qt Le Cruset and brown in 1/2 a stick of butter.....when all moisture has evaporated. add 1/4 cup of of flour and cook 1 minute...add 2 cups of chicken broth and cook, sturring to remove lumps until flour thickens a bit. Add your steamed or roasted veggies, and 2 cups of milk....simmer ( do NOT boil!) gently for about 20 minutes and gently stir in 2 cups of grated sharp chedder...2 tsps worchestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp Coleman's dry mustard ( or 2 tsps prepared grey poupon mustard) and stir and heat gently until smooth. Check for salt...I don't think it will need any but you may. Linda C
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Comments (5)
* Exported from MasterCook * Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 onion -- chopped 1/2 cup butter 1 package frozen chopped broccoli -- (16 ounce) 4 cans chicken broth -- (14.5 ounce) 1 loaf processed cheese food -- (1 pound) cubed 2 cups half and half 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2/3 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup water In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Add minced garlic and cook and stir until frangrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in half and half. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Mix into soup; cook and stir until thick. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Serving Ideas : Serve with croutons sprinkled over the top. NOTES : Used leftover broccoli - cooked peeled and chopped stems as directed, but added chopped florets at the end.
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papillon1
Original Author
9 years ago
IDK I washed my broccoli thoroughly & didn't use garlic. I guess I may never know??
Lars
9 years ago
How did you make it? If I were making it, I would cut off all the florets and reserve those, and then slice the stems into small pieces and saute or roast those with some onion to develop some sweetness. Then I would puree all of that in some vegetable broth, add the florets and cook those until just done and then add the cheese.

You have to make sure that you do not overcook the stems as well, but if it is slightly bitter, a bit of salt should make help the taste.

Lars
oasisowner
9 years ago
We make gallons of this yearly. Some years it seems that the broccoli is more bitter than other years. Adding lots of onion helps, as does making it half and half broccoli/cauliflower.
plllog
9 years ago
Did you taste the broccoli before you made the soup? Broccoli is naturally bitter, though some people taste the bitterness more than others. It's certainly possible that different crops in different years and/or different soil will have a different amount of bitterness, but it's always there.

I've read that blanching in water (rather than steam) removes a lot of the bitterness. I don't know if that's true--I haven't done a side by side test--but blanched florets, which are often served plain, do seem sweeter. Blanching is no big deal, especially if you're making soup (so it won't matter if they don't get shocked cold just perfectly). You might try that next time.

I doubt the problem was the stock if it was put up in a factory. They monitor and taste test that kind of thing constantly. You can call the company to see if they had any other complaints.
chas045
9 years ago
'Broccoli is naturally bitter, though some people taste the bitterness more than others.'

I had no idea, but it makes sense. Broccoli is my favorite veg. by far. I have eaten it regularly thru six decades and I have never considered it to be bitter. Perhaps you and George Bush the elder are among the unfortunate.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
9 years ago
The bitterness of different types of broccoli varies as well. I ended up growing a variety of broccoli this year that I hadn't grown before, and although it produced well, it is so bitter as to be inedible. Broccoli is my favorite veggie, so I was truly disappointed that I was unable to eat any of it.
ryseryse_2004
9 years ago
I think maybe broccoli gets bitter at the end of the season as does lettuce, basil and probably things I don't know about. Adding some salt (as publikman suggests) will help. Salt helps everything!!!!!
arlocat
9 years ago
How about the type of cheese you used? That is usually the wild card for me.
bob_cville
9 years ago
There is a chemical that occurs in broccoli that some percentage of the population cannot taste at all, whereas to others it tastes unbearably bitter. I saw a PBS science program about it, where they made an extract of the chemical and would test the subjects by putting a few drops in the subjects mouth. Some subjects reported that it just tasted like water, while recoiled backwards, sometimes spitting onto the floor.

They said there was a strong correlation between being able to taste this chemical and self-reporting as not liking broccoli.
Jasdip
9 years ago
We love broccoli, and now cauliflower, since I always steam/saute the cauliflower. We didn't care for it before now.

Last summer we bought a bunch of broccoli at the farmers market that was deeply discounted. Cooked a head and we couldn't eat it. Horrible. Gave it all to my composting worms. We haven't bought broccoli at the market since, but have never had that problem with store-bought broccoli.

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