Cheesy Broccoli Soup

I've mentioned earlier that this year I wanted to make more kinds of soup..so far, I've been looking for interesting soup recipes..and this broccoli soup is one of them !

However, there are too many of it to pick up..so I ended up mixing two recipes that I found most interesting and fitted to my preference.

The recipe :

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 large yellow onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced finely
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 cup half milk-and-half heavy cream
1 1/2 broccoli florets, diced into bite-size pieces
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
pinch cayenne pepper
120 g sharp cheddar cheese, with a small amount reserved for garnishing bowls

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for more minute, then sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine, cooking for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk & heavy cream, water and the stock.

2. Add broccoli and spices, a dash of salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring to melt the cheese after each addition.

3. Blend up the broccoli a bit, but still leave a good amount of texture. You could also choose to mash it with a potato masher to break up the broccoli a bit, or transfer to a blender in two batches and puree completely and serve.