Friday, August 27, 2010

Cuisine: Cheese & Vegetable Chowder

You Will Need:
3 strips of Bacon
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans Chicken Broth
3 cups potatoes, cubed and scrubbed
1 cup Diced Carrots
1 can (15 oz) Whole-Kernel Corn, drained
1 box (10 oz) Frozen Chopped Kale (or Spinach)
4 cups Lowfat Milk
¼ cup & 2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
¾ Tbsp. Salt
6 oz Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (1 ½ cups)

What To Do:
Cook bacon in a 5 qt. pot over medium heat until crisp, drain on a paper towel, and then crumble. Discard all but 2 tsp. of fat from the pot. Saute onion in fat over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Stir in the broth, potatoes, carrots, corn, and kale. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and stir often to break up the frozen kale. Simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Whisk milk, flour, and salt in a medium sized bowl until blended and then stir the mixture into the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally and cook 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cheese, and stir until melted.

Ladle into soup plates/bowls. Sprinkle with bacon and garnish with scallions.