#92 Corn Chowder

Another favorite of ours, is Corn Chowder, a milk or cream based vegetable soup. This dish is very good for kids and well loved by grown-ups too. Corn chowder is an easy dish to make, a little bit sweet, light but filling. I remember this is what we made at one of our home economics classes in high school back in PI, our teacher Mrs. Olandria loved it, I still remember that day, it was a simple recipe that I found in a recipe book that my mom bought and I remember using alpine evaporated milk as a substitute for fresh milk, which was hard to come by back in the days. Chowders are not widely consumed back then also because we like clear soups made with fresh seafood or other meats. It took me a while to develop a liking for cream based soups, and this is one of the very first ones I fell hard with. It is thick and just delicious. She loves helping out in the kitchen so I let her make most of the soup, with my help of course. We had a lot of fun and loved having it for our weekend lunch :)

Yield: Serves 4

CORN CHOWDER 

Ingredients:

1 medium onion

1 small clove garlic

2 medium potatoes

1 tbsp. butter

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup milk

1 can of corn, about 7 ounces, drained

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Chop onion finely, crush the garlic, and peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Cook the onion and garlic very gently for 10-12 minutes, until soft.
3. Add the potato cubes, broth , and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Add the corn and simmer (again, partly covered) for 5 to 10 minutes more, until the potato is  soft. If the mixture feels very thick, add 2 or 3 tbsp. hot water.
5. Turn off the heat. Leave the mixture to cool, then put half aside in a bowl. If you have a hand blender, blend the remaining half in the saucepan until smooth. (Otherwise, puree it in a blender and return it to the saucepan.)
6. Add the soup in the bowl to the soup in the saucepan and stir in the cream. Reheat gently to serve.
7. Sprinkle dill on top for flavor and color. You can also sprinkle crumbled crackers or bread with it.

Recipe adapted from the book: You can cook by Annabel Karmel

 

Chowder has many variations, usually made with seafood and vegetables, it originated in the New England region of the  US. The New England Clam Chowder is the most popular and widely consumed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut and Atlantic Canada. Corn Chowder is our favorite of all.

Fresh dill adds a nice flavor to it so I put a lot in mine, try it! :)