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Friday, November 28, 2014

Comforting Corn Chowder

A perfect hearty soup for a chilly evening, this corn chowder is easy and versatile. Like most of the recipes on this blog, it can be adapted to suit seasonal veggies and while this version calls for bacon, it can also easily be converted to a vegetarian version.

I love that this soup is basically a meal in a bowl and is hearty enough to stand as a main course but only takes about 30 minutes to get to the table.

Other nice additions to this recipe include 1/2 cup of diced red pepper and/or some diced swiss chard to add more green veggies.



Comforting Corn Chowder

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups peeled potatoes, chopped into 1/2" cubes
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 can of whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained (you can also use fresh corn or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 4-5 slices bacon
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • a few sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
  • bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 1/2 cups veggie or chicken stock
  • 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream, canned cream, or milk (fresh cream is best if available)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnish
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best)
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onion

Directions 

  1. Cook the bacon on low heat until the fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Set aside the bacon and reserve the fat. Skip this step for the vegetarian version.
  2. In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the bacon fat and olive oil. For a vegetarian version, use butter or olive oil instead of bacon fat.
  3. After 1-2 minutes, add the celery and sauté. 
  4. When onion and celery are soft, add the flour and cook, stirring rapidly, for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the broth, potatoes, carrots, corn, parsley, bay leaf and thyme. 
  6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20- 30 minutes or until potatoes are very soft. Stir often.
  7. While the soup is simmering, cut the cooked bacon into bits.
  8. Stir in the cream, and heat on low another 1-2 minutes.
  9. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green onions.

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