Vegetable Chowder

    This recipe is the second that I have tried from my Moosewood Cookbook.  The temperature dipped a bit towards the end of the week, leaving it feeling more like fall.  Fall is my favorite time to make soup.  Last year I made a lot of soup that I then ate for lunch, however once spring hit I abandoned my soup recipes.  Now that fall is in the air, soup is back!

Vegetable Chowder

Ingredients
1 tbsp Smart Balance (or regular butter)
2 cups onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp basil
1 medium potato, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
2 cups corn
black pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1 quart low fat milk, heated
optional: minced herbs including chives, basil, marjoram

Method
1. Melt the butter in a large pot.  Add onion and half of the garlic, salt, thyme, and basil.  Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add the potato, celery, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.  Continue to saute for 5 to 8 minutes.  Then add the mushroom and corn along with lots of black pepper.  Saute for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the water and cover.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until everything is tender.
4. Stir in the hot milk and remaining garlic.  Remove from heat for about 10 minutes before serving.  At that time, reheat the chowder gently.  Top with minced herbs and serve.

The Taste Test
     When I first added the milk into the soup pot I got very worried because it was so watery.  A quart of milk is too much I think.  I did some research on how to thicken chowders and ended up whisking together some cornstarch and cold water and adding it to my simmering pot.  That helped a bit.  Also, when serving the soup I just scooped out some of the liquid.  This may be another recipe that needs a bit more experimenting.