It rained all day today, our first big storm since last winter. The sky was overcast and it was very dark outside. The rain was welcomed, however, since all the reservoirs in northern California are low.
When the weather changes and autumn is definitely in the air I dig out my recipes for soups, stews, and roasts.
This Broccoli-Cheese Chowder is creamy and filling and serving it in a bread bowl makes it a special meal. This recipe gets its creamy texture from cooked potatoes and smooth, tangy reduced-fat sour cream instead of getting its richness from cream and cheese. A single serving gives you over half of the daily recommendation for vitamin C.
Broccoli-Cheese Chowder
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, diced or shredded
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Watkins Dry Mustard
1/8 teaspoon Watkins Cayenne Pepper
4 cups chicken broth made with 4 cups boiling water and 2 tablespoons Watkins Chicken Soup Base
8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 – 6 sour dough bread bowls
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
Add chicken broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan. Careful, soup is very hot.
Stir in Cheddar cheese and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt. Scoop out the insides of the bread bowls and eat bread with soup or use for croutons. Add the soup to the bread bowls and enjoy. Makes six one-cup servings.
Ingredient notes:
Most supermarkets sell broccoli crowns, which are the tops of the bunches, with the stalks cut off. Although crowns are more expensive than entire bunches, they are convenient and there is considerably less waste. If you use a regular bunch of broccoli with stems, peel stem and cut into pieces. Peeled broccoli stems also make a crunchy snack.
8 ounces of cubed Velveeta can be used in place of the Cheddar cheese.
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