Come August I’ll be complaining about the heat, but right now I am a bit weary of the cold. Oh, I love winter most of the time. I love to watch it snow; just don’t like shoveling. And I love the comfort food that I cook in January and February when I need to get warm. Meat loaf is a favorite, roasted veggies, and who doesn’t like scalloped potatoes? But hearty soups are at the top of the list, too, and corn chowder is probably my all-time, most-often-made preference. So I grabbed my coffee this morning in my favorite mug and started chopping.
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| Corn Chowder, steamy hot and ready for consumption! |
The following is gluten-free, although check the package on the chicken stock. Not all are free of gluten. I like shopping at Wegmans because of the selection of organic and gluten-free products. I know, not all of you are lucky enough to live in the northeast where you have a Wegmans nearby.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion (I use Vidalia)
1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
4 oz pancetta (or 6 strips of bacon), diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
4 cups diced potatoes (about 1/2 inch cubes)
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups half and half
2 16-oz bags of frozen corn
DIRECTIONS
Over medium heat, melt the butter and add olive oil (or use all olive oil if you prefer) in a large stock pot. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes, then add celery and cook another 4 – 5 minutes. Add the diced pancetta and cook until done (about another 5 -7 minutes). Lower the heat if necessary to be sure the onions don’t burn.
Before adding the diced potatoes, add the cumin, pepper and salt and give the onion mixture a good stir. Add the diced potatoes and chicken stock. Stir, cover the stock pot with a lid, lower the heat to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
When the potatoes are cooked through, add the corn and half and half. If you prefer, you can substitute whole or 2% milk. Cook until thoroughly heated (about 10 – 15 minutes). Just before serving, use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or not if you prefer chunks of potatoes).
Enjoy! Serves 8.
Kathryn White
http://www.thebeechmont.com
Bed and Breakfast Foodie