Recipe: Chipotle Cheese Soup (with broccoli and carrots)

CHIPOTLE CHEESE SOUP

"Warm and soothing, this soup is a winter rider's best friend. The slightly smoky overtones of the chipotle peppers intermingle beautifully with the creamy cheese base. This soup will give you that warm, sitting-by-the-fireside feeling on a frosty day. It packs enough calories and hot pepper fire to fuel your body for a long afternoon of winter motorcycling."

1 large broccoli stalk
3 tablespoons butter, divided use
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
2 cups baby carrots, quartered
1 medium-size onion, diced
1 to 2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce (to your taste), minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
9 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground savory
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup whole milk
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Trim the broccoli, remove the florets, coarsely chop them, and set aside. Thinly slice the stalk.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced broccoli stalk, celery seeds, carrots, and onion. Cook until the onion is transparent, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large soup pot set over high heat. Add the chipotle peppers, water, garlic, parsley, savory, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring often.

Add the broccoli florets and bell pepper and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

Add the milk and Velveeta cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often, while you prepare the roux.

To make the roux, in a small saucepot, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Add the flour and stir well. Continue to stir until the flour is a very light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the adobo sauce and 2 cups of liquid from the soup, and mix thoroughly with a wire whisk. Transfer the mixture to the soup and stir until well blended. Simmer, stirring often, until the soup thickens, 5 minutes. Serve immediately

Makes 6-8 servings
Source: Biker Billy's Freeway-A-Fire Cookbook by Bill Hufnagle