Corn Chowder

Dan had some friends coming over to work on a project this afternoon. When I asked what he and his friends would like for lunch, Dan suggested corn chowder.

Oddly, I've never made a corn chowder before. I've made soups with corn, I've made corn bisque, but not corn chowder. I did a little research to figure out what I wanted this chowder to include without consuming the majority of my morning in prep work.

It is a cold, drizzly day in North Carolina; perfect corn chowder weather.

This makes a large batch - I used my 7.5qt dutch oven, and had a little room at the top.

I over-spiced this (we all had runny noses by the end...), so I've adjusted the recipe below. If you find the heat too weak for your taste, add more pepper or Dinosaur by the half teaspoon until you are satisfied.


You will need:

about 8 strips of smoked bacon, diced
1 large vidalia onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 large red pepper, diced
6 large Yukon Gold or white potatoes, peeled and cubed (these are less starchy than Idaho or baking potatoes)
1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth if you are opting for a vegetarian soup)
2 cups heavy cream
32 oz (big bag) of frozen corn
(I added an additional cup of fire-roasted corn to cut the heat, and it is terrific. I've only seen fire-roasted corn at Trader Joe's.)
2 tsp(ish) dried thyme
1 TBS soy sauce
1/2 TBS cayenne pepper and 1 tsp crushed red pepper OR 1 TBS Dinosaur Foreplay (which is preferred, and a staple in my kitchen)

In dutch oven (or thick pot) saute diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside.
In bacon drippings (drain some off if you have more than a few TBS), saute onion, carrots, celery, and red pepper until onions are caramelized and veggies are softened (about 8 minutes).
Add broth, soy sauce, thyme, and Foreplay (or peppers) and potatoes to the pot and simmer, covered, for 10+ minutes, until potatoes are softened. (I walked away from this for about 20 minutes, and all turned out well.)
Add corn, cream, and bacon to the pot.
When the corn is cooked, it is ready! I let mine cook for about 30 minutes, just because we weren't ready for it right away.

I served these with some Trader Joe's Chili & Cheese Puffs (similar to Ina Garten's cheese puffs with the addition of diced mild chilies and the convenience of being pre-made.)