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Corn Chowder

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Whenever summer brings fresh corn to my grocery stores and farmers markets, it’s time to make this family favorite — fresh corn chowder.  Canned corn can be used to make it “quick and easy” but the flavor of using fresh corn makes the extra time worthwhile.

Corn Chowder
 
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Recipe type: Soup
Ingredients
  • 8 ears fresh corn
  • 3 Tbsp butter, margarine, or your favorite oil
  • 5 slices bacon
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • ½ green or red pepper, cut into small pieces
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 lb potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 - 3 Tbsp chopped fresh green onions
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Husk the corn and remove the silks. Cut the kernels from the cob.
  2. Cut the bacon in small pieces.
  3. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
  4. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, red or green pepper, and bacon to the butter and cook, stirring frequently, until onion starts to brown around the edges.
  5. Add the flour and garlic and cook 1½ minutes. Slowly whisk in five cups of water.
  6. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring constantly, then stir in corn kernels and potatoes. Add thyme and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
  7. Put approximately 2½ cups of the chowder in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the pot then stir in half and half and sugar.
  8. Serve in bowls with chopped green onions and cheddar cheese sprinkled on top..

 

Hearty Recycled Soup

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Ron and I delivered a gift basket and then took the dogs for a walk today. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I’ve operated a gift basket and gift service business for the past 23 years.

By the time we returned home, we were both hungry and tired. So I turned to one of my all-time easy, last-minute, quick to fix vegetables that I call Recycled Soup.

This dish is so easy to fix that you don’t even need a recipe.  After cooking for a family, cooking for two doesn’t come easy for me so I usually tend to have leftovers.  They could be some of the meat, the vegetables, or even the side dishes.

The bits of meat, vegetables, pasta, rice etc that are left in the bowls at the end of the meal are all added to a covered plastic carton that I keep in the refrigerator (if I’m going to use them in the next 2-3 days) or usually in the freezer. After each succeeding meal, new leftovers are added to the carton and I usually have several of these filled cartons in the freezer.

When I need a quick meal, I dump the leftovers from a carton into a cooking pot and add broth that I keep on hand. Heat until hot and serve. Some shredded cheese or a dollop of sour cream can be added to the top of each bowl if desired.

Packages and/or cans of beef, chicken, and vegetable broths are staples in my pantry and no two soups are ever alike.  For a heartier meal and depending on the ingredients, I have served this soup with tortilla chips, croutons, crackers, and even tortillas that I break up and cook in just a little olive oil until crispy and brown.