Cheddar and Carrot Chowder With Broccoli

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Arrange the carrots, onions, and squash on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and rub them generously with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then put them into the preheated oven to roast for 45 minutes—or until the squash becomes fork tender. Stir the carrots and onions half way through roasting time. When the veggies have finished roasting. Set them aside to cool.

To blanch the broccoli, add it to a pot of salted boiling water. Cook it in the water for 3 – 5 minutes—just long enough for the broccoli to become tender. Once it’s finished, strain it into a colander and immediately shock it by dipping it into a bowl of cold water. Set aside.

Once the veggies are cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and squash. The easiest way to peel the squash is to scoop it out of its skin with a spoon. Put the squash meat, carrots and onions into a blender along with the carrot juice and puree until smooth.

In a large soup pot melt butter over low heat. Add flour and increase heat to medium. Whisk continuosly until flour has cooked. It’s important not to overcook or undercook the roux. We are looking for a white roux in this recipe, so just cook it until it loses its raw, doughy aroma.

Once the roux is cooked, slowly whisk in the warm milk. Add just a little at a time to avoid lumps. After you’ve added all the milk, continue stirring until the sauce reaches a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and start mixing in the cheddar. Add just a little cheese at a time, waiting until each bit has melted before adding more. Next stir in the white American cheese followed by the cayenne pepper. Taste the sauce and add salt and black pepper to taste. These kinds of sauces often need a lot of salt so don’t be afraid to keep adding it little by little until you can really taste the cheese.

Now, combine the pureed vegetables with the cheese sauce in the soup pot. Stir them well to combine and raise the heat to bring the soup back up to a simmer. Once it is simmering, reduce the heat to low and taste for seasoning. Add any necessary salt and pepper. Then stir in the lemon juice and broccoli and heat through.

Serve piping hot with or without a garnish. Croutons, corn nuts, bacon, or crackers are some classic ideas for garnishing a soup like this. But if you are a little more daring use something acidic like pickled jalapeno, pepperocini, or olives. I like to use thinly sliced fresh tomato and shredded hard salami.