Broccoli and Cheese Soup

One of my favourite cookbook authors is Nigella Lawson. Her recent book is a collection of recipes that are very fast and inexpensive to create. I also manage to get a good result even though I don't always have the exact ingredients on hand.

I tried this soup recipe last weekend when my parents came over for dinner and lo and behold both my children actually ate it...and one even said (without prompting) "this is good". Now, there was a liberal scattering of grated mozzerella and cheddar cheese (children) or Stilton cheese (adults) to enhance the taste.

I used my food processor to grate a block of mozzerella cheese and a block of "old" cheddar cheese. Then I used it to blend the soup.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup (inspired by Broccoli and Stilton Soup from Nigella Express - 2007)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

I clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 kg bag frozen broccoli

4 cups vegetable stock (I used a stock cube)

salt and pepper to taste

250 g cheese (Stilton - crumbled; Mozz/Cheddar - grated)

* In a large pot saute the garlic and onion in the oil. Cook about 5-7 minutes. Add the frozen broccoli and vegetable stock, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Use an immersion blender or a food processor to blend the soup. Return to the pot, season to taste with salt and pepper and reheat slightly. Serve soup with a generous sprinkle of cheese on top.