This recipe is dedicated to my just-married sister, because when planning her bridal shower a few weeks ago, I learned that one of her favorite foods was corn chowder. So when I flipped through a cookbook looking for an easy soup I could make for a group, this recipe caught my attention. The added bonus was that we got to use the new blender we got for Christmas.
The now-out-of-print cookbook I was looking at, Cooking Great Meals Everyday, was written by Richard Sax, late chef and older brother of one of my mom's old flames. But my mom hunted down a copy of the book to give to Rich for one of our first Christmases together, and we use it quite often. Here's my take on his awesome corn chowder recipe, which took about an hour to prepare and served six to eight (he says four to six):
- Hearty Corn Chowder
- ½ pound bacon, thickly sliced, cut into 1-inch squares
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (he calls for vegetable oil)
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
- 2 carrots, trimmed and thickly sliced
- ¾ pound boiling potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
- 2 cups cold water, or more as needed
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1 large pinch dried
- 1⅔ cups whole milk (he calls for 1 cup milk and ⅔ cups heavy or light cream)
- three cans (15 ounces each) corn kernels, drained (he calls for 5½ cups fresh corn kernels (8 to 9 ears) and advises that "[t]his is one of the times when canned seems to provide more flavor than frozen")
- Place bacon and oil in large pot. Slowly bring up to heat; cook bacon over medium heat, tossing often, until light golden but not crisp, and fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Reserve.
- Sauté onion in bacon fat over medium heat, tossing often, until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add celery and carrot; toss for another 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add potato, enough cold water to cover ingredients, salt, and thyme. Bring to boil; lower heat and gently boil, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender but not mushy, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Heat milk and cream together in saucepan until almost boiling. Stir into soup along with corn kernels. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 5 minutes.
- Remove 2 cups of solids with slotted spoon. Purée coarsely in blender or food processor. Stir back into soup. Add reserved bacon. Correct seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve hot with buttered bread and oyster crackers, with a green salad on the side. (He recommends, "Serve hot with a pat of butter, if you wish, a sprinkling of paprika and pilot crackers or biscuits," and I accomplished the first by accidentally dropping butter into my soup while trying to butter my bread.)
No comments:
Post a Comment