Corn Chowder
Corn season has come and gone but maybe you stocked up and froze a bunch of those tasty, starchy kernels for another day; another day to make corn chowder, of course! I made this while corn was still in season, but if you are following me, you know I took a break in September and October, updating old posts, and then went to Peru in November! If you don’t have corn stashed away in your freezer, you could use frozen corn; or hang on to this recipe for late summer!
I love a good chowder and my husband and I have been making corn chowder almost annually since we met. I am from Alberta, Canada and am used to Taber corn season. Anywhere I drive in August and September I can expect to see trucks on the side of the road selling Taber corn. When Eric and I first met, I raved about how amazing Taber corn was. He couldn’t believe that corn picked from Southern Alberta, then put on a truck and sold on the side of the road up in Northern Alberta could be even the slightest palatable. You see, Eric is from Ontario and told me about the days of him and his dad literally driving up to a corn field and buying fresh corn from the farmer by picking the ears right off the stalk! I have yet to experience this freshness of corn, but until then, I will settle for what I consider the best corn!
Corn Chowder
For the ingredients, you will need about 2 cups of fresh (or frozen) corn kernels, one leek sliced thinly, 1/4 minced green onion, four celery stalks diced, two cups of cubed potatoes, butter, oil, flour, thyme, salt and pepper, broth and milk.
Start off by making a roux. I thought I knew how to make a roux until I went to New Orleans and took a cooking class there. I used to just mix my flour and butter in a sauce pan and call it a roux, but now I know you need to brown that butter/oil and flour mixture up a little. The browner you have it, the more of a caramel tone you will have to what you are making. For gumbos, for example, you want a nice brown roux to enhance the richness of the dish. For corn chowder, I like it a nice light yellow/brown. Melt butter in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add in oil, flour and thyme and start stirring until a light brown colour forms.
Add in the celery, onion and leek and sauté for 5 – 7 minutes until everything softens, while stirring occasionally.
Add in the broth and bring to a boil. Add in the milk and cubed potatoes and bring to a boil again, and simmer until potatoes soften.
Add in the corn, bring back to a boil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
- 1 leek sliced thin
- 1/4 cup green onion sliced thin
- 4 celery stalks diced
- 4 cups broth chicken or vegetable
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cup potatoes cubed
- 2 cup corn kernels
Instructions
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Heat a soup pot or dutch oven on medium heat.
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Melt butter in the pot and add in oil, flour and thyme and start stirring until a light brown colour forms.
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Add in the celery, onion and leek and sauté for 5 - 7 minutes until everything softens, while stirring occasionally.
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Add in the broth and bring to a boil. Add in the milk and cubed potatoes and bring to a boil again, and simmer until potatoes soften. Add in the corn, bring back to a boil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For the milk, I used skim, but the more fat in the milk, the richer the soup will taste!
Fresh corn is what I used, but frozen will work as well.
How fresh is the corn you have access to?!
