Accident, TLC & Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder

This soup is my week's contribution to Soup Sundays-- Deb at Kahaka Kitchen's weekly blog group where you can submit your posting for a soup, soup-like meal, salad and sandwiches. Click here for more information.


On Tuesday afternoon I got a call from my daughter's school and was told that she was hurt... She apparently was pushed by one of her classmates and fell on her face...For a moment my heart stopped because when she was 19 months old she fell in the same manner and knocked out her front tooth and the other 6 were loose. Thankfully we were able to save the loose teeth back then and not having to do a root canals on all of them. When I was told that she fell and hit her face I feared that she lost more teeth, but I was assured that only ONE of her teeth was loose and her lip was badly cut. I understand that they do not want me to panic but what's with: " She is OK now, she has a badly cut & bruised lip and one tooth is loose but you do not have to pick her up now" What the #$@@$$%? Let me tell you, when I went to get her (right after I got a call) she looked like she was in a head on collision with a wall, her tooth was the least of my worries...her lips looked so bad I thought she will need stitches for sure. I immediately took her to see a doctor, who couldn't tell if we will be able to save the tooth, her lip did not need stitches but she was put on antibiotic to prevent infection. I have to take her to see the dentist after her lip will heal enough so they can take x-rays and determine if the front tooth can be saved. The only cancellation is that she is 4 years old and those are baby teeth. Here is a picture of Olivia missing one tooth already.



Since this incident she of course can't eat all the things that she normally would, so I have to be creative with what I serve her...It seems that soup is a good solution. Olivia loves cheddar-broccoli soup so I decided to make a variation of it for her. This recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine, December 2001 issue. It was a nice variation of the classic flavors. I liked the addition of red pepper and potato. It was a truly delightful soup! You will really love it if you are a fan of cheddar-broccoli.



* 1 small head broccoli (1/2 pound)
* 1 large boiling potato (1/2 pound)
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* l large garlic clove, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

Discard tough lower third of broccoli stem. Peel remaining stem and finely chop. Cut remaining broccoli into very small (1-inch) florets. Cook florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups cooking water for chowder.

Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper, broccoli stems, and garlic in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper.

Purée about 2 cups of chowder in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add florets and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.