I missed the cheese potato soup we’d make back when we could still have potatoes, so when my brother produced a batch of seafood stock cooking some snow crab legs, I immediately started working on a cheesy cream soup made for filling, meatless meals for those pesky Fridays in Lent.  🙂

To make this soup, you’ll want a medium-to-large saucepan, and a large frying pan or small wok.  You’ll also want two burners free on the stove to do it quickly, though if you’re stuck with one it’ll just take longer.  It’s also nice to have a helper in the kitchen to handle one of the burners for you, but again, it’ll just take a little more time and attention to do it yourself.

Anyway, seriously.  I’m told this soup is delicious and wonderful, and now if I can really get the hang of some crackers to go with it I’ll look forward to Fridays for a while.  🙂

Cream of Seafood Soup

Yield:  4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 celery stalks
• 1 red bell pepper (or orange, or yellow)
• 1 small onion (white or yellow)
• 2 cups seafood stock (I used unseasoned stock)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon peel
• 2 T cold water
• 2 T arrowroot powder

Directions:

1.  First, finely chop the celery, bell pepper, and onion; set aside.

2.  In a medium-large saucepan, whisk together the seafood stock and cream over medium to medium-high heat; cover and let heat.

3.  In a large skillet or wok, melt the butter on medium-high heat, then sautee the celery, bell pepper, and onion until tender.  Add the seasonings (garlic powder, salt, parsley, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon peel) as you sautee.

4.  Once the stock mixture is steaming hot, add the grated cheddar a small handful at a time, whisking until the cheese is dissolved after each addition.

5.  Once the stock and vegetables are both prepped, combine them in a single pan.  (For a single batch of soup, I usually pour the stock into my wok, since there’s room, but for larger batches when I’m using a large stockpot I’ll add the veggies to the stock.  Either way works, you just want enough room to still be able to stir well.)

6.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cold water and arrowroot until fully combined.  Pour this mixture into the hot soup, then stir for thirty seconds until the soup thickens.  Immediately remove from heat, and serve.