I have to be honest, with the dreariness of MN these days… I have been feeling uninspired. So instead of forcing myself to do a post, I decided to wait until I was ready to post something worthwhile.
It is May 3rd, and yes, it is snowing… again. So we are making soup this afternoon. Turning to my favorite soup book for a recipe we decided that Corn Chowder would be tasty on this cold day.
We just finished prepping the corn and in a bit I will start rendering the salt pork. I will try to get a decent picture of it after it is done!
For this recipe, we like to add crab meat. Get the good stuff, it is worth it. Stir it in with the reserved kernels. We also used frozen organic corn unless it is corn season in MN. I do NOT want to be feeding the kidlets pesticide soup. Tonight we will be eating it with a crusty rosemary olive oil boule.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
| 10 | ears corn (medium), husks and silks removed |
| 3 | ounces salt pork , trimmed of rind and cut into two 1-inch cubes (note: I used regular bacon, which worked out fine) |
| 1 | tablespoon unsalted butter |
| 1 | large onion , preferably Spanish, chopped fine |
| 2 | medium cloves garlic , minced (about 2 teaspoons) |
| 3 | tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour |
| 3 | cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth |
| 2 | medium red potatoes (about 12 ounces), scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 2 cups) |
| 1 | small red bell pepper (optional, my adaption) |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1 | teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or ¼ teaspoon dried) |
| 2 | cups whole milk |
| 1 | cup heavy cream |
| 2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves |
| 1½ | teaspoons table salt |
| Ground black pepper |
Directions
1. Stand corn on end. Using chef’s knife, cut kernels from 4 ears corn (you should have about 3 cups); transfer to medium bowl and set aside. Following illustrations below, grate kernels from remaining 6 ears on large holes of box grater, then firmly scrape any pulp remaining on cobs with back of knife (you should have 2 generous cups kernels and pulp). Transfer to separate bowl and set aside.
2. Sauté salt pork (or quality thick-cut bacon) in Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, turning with tongs and pressing down on pieces to render fat, until cubes are crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, stir in butter and onions, cover pot, and cook until softened, about 12 minutes. If using, add the chopped red bell pepper in the last five minutes of cooking the onion.
Remove salt pork and reserve.
Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
Whisking constantly, gradually add stock. Add potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, milk, grated corn and pulp, and reserved salt pork; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add reserved corn kernels and heavy cream and return to simmer; simmer until corn kernels are tender yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes longer. Discard bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Yoga Mama in Minneapolis 