Fresh Corn Chowder

Corn is very much in season now. It's sweet, and plentiful, and inexpensive.... a perfect time to buy several ears for this chowder. This soup is both satisfyingly creamy yet light at the same time. The sweet, distinctively corny flavor really comes through. The soup is actually quite low-fat and takes most of its creaminess from the pureed corn and the potatoes. It does contain some milk, but 2% or skim work quite well.

I'm serving this tonight with an arugula and raddichio salad featuring apples from our tree and toasted walnuts. I also whipped up a batch of buttermilk biscuits, some with chives and some with olives. They're so super easy, always flaky and delicious. I'll share that recipe here in the coming days.

Enjoy!

Fresh Corn Chowder:

Serves 6 as a main course

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 stalks celery (about 1/2 cup), diced

1/2 medium jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, diced

3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

6 ears corn (about 4 cups), kernels removed from cobs

3 cups vegetable stock

1 cup milk (low-fat is fine)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/2 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

2 TB parsley, chopped

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 TB olive oil

1) In a 5 quart stockpot or dutch oven, heat the 2 TB olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and jalapeno and saute until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the potato, salt & pepper and saute another 3 minutes until the potato is just beginning to soften. Add the stock and the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced some and the potatoes are fully cooked. Add the corn and simmer another 3-4 minutes.

2) In a blender, puree about 2 cups of the soup. Stir the blended portion back into the remaining soup. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Sprinkle the top with cheese, fresh cracked pepper and fresh parsley.

*I completely forgot to take a photo before devouring this. This lovely photo is courtesy of Food & Wine Magazine. If any of you make this soup, please do take a photo and send it to me so I can use it here. Thank you!!