Coffee and Crumpets

Real Food with Altitude

Soups and Salads Vegetarian

Summer Corn Chowder

 
I didn’t want this summer to end without reposting this great recipe. It’s a luscious, creamy corn chowder recipe that appeared in the newspaper back in 1997. I have made it every summer since then.
 
Soup is one thing that we don’t think about eating during the summer months but this chowder is elevated to great heights with the use of fresh, crisp, crunchy corn. It’s a must once the summer is near its end and the cooler nights are setting in but there is still an abundance of fresh corn at the market.
 
 
We were at the farmers market in Denver a couple of weeks ago, enjoying a leisurely, lazy Sunday which are few and far between with my husband’s ridiculous work schedule lately. We enjoyed some sweet lemonade and free samples. At the far end of the market was the vegetable stall with a mound of sweet corn. We bought a dozen for $3.00. Great deal.
 
The first thing I made was the soup. Broomfield has been cooling down nicely in the evenings and the week I made this, it was actually quite cold. Perfect fall day for a perfect fall soup.
 
The recipe is below in my post from last year, I have updated the photos.
 
 
What’s your favourite fall soup? If you have some great, fall soups, send me a link or your recipe and I will do a round up. 
 
Have a great week ahead!!
 
 
 
************************************************************************************************************************************** 
 
 
 
 
 

Soup is the last thing you think of when the sun is shining and it’s hot outside. Our minds are on sweet, fresh lemonade, vibrant green salads and smoky, charred meat from the grill. The idea of warm, nourishing soups and stews seems to weigh us down just thinking about it. However, summer is also the season of corn. When you have exhausted all the traditional ways of eating your summer corn; grilling, roasting, boiling and buttered, a creamy bowl of corn chowder is a great change. 

This recipe first appeared in The Rocky Mountain News paper in 1997 when we lived here back then. I remember making it with the season’s last bit of summer corn. It sounded so good to me that I remember making a special trip to purchase all the ingredients to make it for dinner that day. It was good back then and has been every time I’ve made it since then. I make it almost every summer when the corn is in abundance.

The only change I made to the original recipe is adding garlic and using vegetable broth when I didn’t have chicken broth. The soup doesn’t need any spices or anything extra. The star is the fresh corn and its sweetness and the pleasant crunchiness. The cream (or use half and half) makes the soup rich and luscious so don’t leave it out. Corn and cream were made for each other! Add a nice, crusty loaf of bread and dinner is complete. When I make this soup, it is the main dish, I usually don’t make anything else along with it except for some bread and butter. The soup is rich and filling all by itself.
Serves 8 as a main dish.

 

Summer Corn Chowder

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
2lbs/1kg gold potatoes, cut in small chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups/945ml chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups/473 water
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
8 medium ears of corn, husks and silk removed (need 4 cups of corn)
2 cups/473ml half and half or light cream
Garnish with chives or chopped spring onions (optional)

In a big soup pot melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onion and red bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender,
about 7 minutes.
Add the thyme and garlic and cook a minute or so till fragrant.
Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and the water.
Heat to boiling until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, cut the corn kernels from the cobs.
Scrape the cobs to release the milk using the back of a knife.
Add corn kernels and the milk to the pot and cook 7 minutes.
Stir in the light cream and heat through. Do not boil or the cream will break.
Spoon into bowls and serve with crusty bread.



Hope you are enjoying all the summer vegetables and fruit out there right now.
I am hoping to make some tasty dishes and showcase them here very soon.
It’s been a bit hard lately with the children at home and all needing something. Rides to friends’ houses, the mall, and the park. Dinner really has been a last minute thing these days. It seems they eat constantly! Lately, our dinner time has been a bit erratic too; one day it’s an early dinner some days it’s a late one. There is no schedule with school out!
 
Hope everyone is having a great summer.
Thanks for reading!


Comments

  5. Those ears of corn look wonderful. What a great chowder. And I can’t believe you bought a dozen for $3.00. That’s such a bargain. Food is so expensive here in Sydney – it’s ridiculous! xx
    hotlyspiced recently posted..My Solemn OathMy Profile

    • The corn were beautiful and quite cheap even for us. Colorado does grow a lot of corn sp we generally have a good price on it. Everything else, well food is expensive everywhere.

    • Thanks GG. Corn comes around at the perfect time. It’s getting cool here now so soups and stews are welcoming.

  8. It’s true that so many of us don’t even think of a soup during the summer…Your chowder looks beautiful and sunny, perfect for the end of summer.

    • If I make soup during the summer, my children complain! So, this is one soup I wait for till near the end of summer. It’s really good with the fresh corn.

Get new posts straight to your inbox...

Still hungry?

Stuffed Musquée de Provence Pumpkin
Turkish Soujouk Stew
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Karahi Chicken II~Stir Fried Chicken with Tomatoes
White Chocolate and Pistachio Babka
Harissa Braised Lamb
Honey Roasted Peach and Goat’s Cheese Tartlets
Peach Muffins with Rosemary Streusel
Shami Kebabs
Ground Chicken Kebabs