Cloudy Day Corn and Potato Chowder

Yesterday was a gloomy, cloudy day that called for some soup.  This recipe was an experiment that turned out super yummy…so I decided to share it with you.

Serving Size: 6 – 8

Prep Time: 40 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 ½ - 3 Hours

Kitchen Tools:

1.      Dutch Oven or Large Stockpot
2.      Cutting Board
3.      Sharp Chef’s Knife
4.      Wooden Spoon
5.      Slotted Spoon
6.      Immersion Blender or Regular Blender

Ingredients:

1.      1Tablespoon Olive Oil
2.      ½ lb. Bacon
3.      1 Medium Yellow Onion
4.      3-4 Stalks of Celery
5.      4 – 6 Garlic Cloves (depends on how much you like garlic!)
6.      2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt
7.      2 teaspoons Fresh Cracked Pepper
8.      5 cups Chicken Stock
9.      5 – 8 Red Potatoes (more if they are small – I had some monster potatoes, so I only used 5)
10.  2 lb. Bag Frozen Corn, or Fresh Corn – it is winter so I used frozen
11.  1 cup Half & Half
12.  ½ a Bunch of Cilantro Chopped (optional, I just really love cilantro – and it added a fresh flavor to the hearty soup)
13.  Hot Sauce for topping – if you like!

Directions:

1.      Chop bacon into small lardons/cubes.
2.      Place dutch oven on cooking surface and turn heat to medium high. Once the pot is warm, add 1 Tbs. of olive oil and lardons. Cook until crispy.

3.      While bacon cooks, dice onion and celery into small pieces. Crush garlic with a press or chop super small. Dice potatoes (leaving the skins on) into ¼ inch cubes.

4.      Remove the cooked bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the bacon fat and residual olive oil in the pot. (I like to place the bacon on a plate with a paper towel underneath so it doesn’t get soggy.)  Add onions and stir with your wooden spoon to scrape up all the bacon bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the seasoned salt and pepper to the onions and let cook for 2-3 minutes.

5.      Add celery to the onions, cook another 2 minutes and then add the garlic.
6.      Add the chicken stock, potatoes and corn to the pot. Turn the heat to high, bring the soup to a boil. (If you want to leave the house, you can do steps 2-5 in a frying pan and add everything in a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours)
7.      Add bacon back to soup, saving a little for to top the soup for serving.
8.      Turn heat to low and cover. Let soup cook for 2½ to 3 hours.
9.      Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender (or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to the pot).

10.  Add half & half and cilantro and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through.

11.  Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
12.  Serve up and top with the extra bacon and enjoy!  For some extra flavor boost a little hot sauce on top was really good!