Cheese Chowder

[fuzzyred]

This week I made Cheese Chowder from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I may need to make some kind of meat later in the week to go with it. Or I could add some of the leftover imitation crabmeat I have... Anyways, on to the


Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup sliced celery (1 stalk)
1/2 cup chopped red sweet pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2)
3 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese (6 ounces)

Instructions
1. In a large saucepan bring water to boiling; add carrot, celery, sweet pepper, and green onions. Cook, covered, about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Do not drain.
2. In a small bowl gradually stir about 1 cup of the milk into the flour; stir into cooked vegetables in saucepan. Add the remaining milk, the bouillon granules, and white pepper
3. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add cheddar cheese and American cheese, stirring until melted.


Thoughts and Variations
I used 5 baby carrots instead because that's what I had, two stalks of celery because one didn't look like enough, about 1/6 of a beef bouillon cube, because I did not have chicken bouillon granules, old cheddar cheese (the white kind) because I don't think my store sells anything labelled "sharp" cheddar, and mild cheddar cheese (the orange kind) because I live in Canada and I don't think we have American cheese. I also omitted the white pepper because I didn't have any and I couldn't find any in the grocery store when I looked.

Overall this was a pretty easy recipe. I would probably use a smaller pot next time but I went big because it said a large saucepan and I didn't know how much room I'd need. I was a little unsure about "thick and bubbly" but I did mansge to spot that change and then the cheese melted in great and it came together nicely. It has a good flavour, it's a nice warm thing to eat, the vegetables cooked nicely (though the peppers did get softer than everything else) and it all came together nicely. The texture was a little gritty though I think that may have been from the gluten and starch in the flour (this is based solely on the fact that it tasted a little potato-y to me, and that's all I could think of). All in all, it was good, and I will probably make this one again, maybe eith bacon next time. :)

Comments

[technoshaman]

Reckon what that would sub out to in veggie stock, as my usual soup audience keeps kosherish (no meat with the milk - though fish is okay, so _imitation_ crab - or salmon! - is fine...)?

[fuzzyred]

Well the liquid was just water, so the bouillon granules were just for a bit of flavour. I would check if they have "vegetable bouillon granules (or cubes)", or you could try Vegeta mix, if you can find it. My ex's mother cooked with it and it seems to be vegetarian and is a dried seasoning mix (it's an Eastern European thing so I don't know if it can be found in your area).

[technoshaman]

Aged cheddar will sub nicely for sharp, and the cheap orange stuff is *better* than American if you've got starch in your liquid (which you do) to emulsify it. Half quantity of black pepper can be subbed for white; it has a milder flavour, and doesn't put specks in your soup, but if you're okay with that visually it's fine.

[fuzzyred]

Thanks for the additional information about the cheese! And I had considered adding black pepper but I had a notion that it was stronger (I was right!) and I wasn't sure if flavour or visual appeal was the reason for white. It's just as fine that I left out the black pepper; I don't care for it over much, although I would like to try white pepper if I ever get the chance.

[arthur_p_dent]

The “potato-y” taste is definitely from the flour. Since the flour is uncooked (the recipe doesn’t have you make a roux), you end up with that raw flour flavour.
The texture is possibly from the cheese. “American” cheese is the processed stuff, like Velveeta, which melts down easily to a smooth texture. “Real” cheeses, especially cheddars I find, tend to take a bit of work with the mixing to melt down somewhat smooth, but can sometimes end up a little grainy.

[fuzzyred]

Ya, this recipe just had me mix the milk with the flour and add it to the boiling water, instead of cooking that bit first. I suppose I knew the bit about the cheese, but I have never seen Velveeta or any other processed cheese like that in shreddable form; it's all in slices.