Ciao!

Oh, hi!

When fall descended on New York last Thursday over the course of two hours (literally), I decided that I could finally stand the idea of being near the oven and cooking Real Food on a regular basis again. And tonight, I like to think that I was divinely inspired to return to the ole ball and chain that is this blog. I can’t promise that any of the roomies will  join us here in the One-Drawer Kitchen, or that I’ll always have interesting commentary to accompany the recipes I attempt, but don’t stop believin’. You never know what could happen.

So without further ado,

Broccoli-

Cheese

CIAOder. (aka Chowder. See what I did there?)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I omitted this because I don’t really like mustard)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omitted because I have zero tolerance for spicy things, unfortunately)
• 2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used one of the 32-oz boxes of chicken broth)
• 8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (I used normal extra sharp cheddar because low-fat cheddar is an abomination)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (already had this on hand, and not as offensive to the Diety of Dairy)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (omitted, because even with reduced-sodium broth, it was a tad salty)

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in a 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; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
2. Add 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. After reading comments on the recipe, I decided to skip the hand mash and lightly puree most of the soup in the blender for a smoother/creamier soup.
3. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Don’t be alarmed if a few chunks of celery remain. It’s a nice change of texture.

xoxo,

Leonore

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