Corn Chowder

As my first attempt at creative family-friendly fare I found a recipe for Corn Chowder.

It seems healthy, it has fresh seasonal ingredients. Wyatt loves soup. Chris (husband) wasn't home for dinner. I thought I'd give it a try. What's not to like?

Wyatt (11) liked it -- gave it a "make again" rating. Zachary (5), who really isn't too picky yet, also ate an entire serving (which is a passive make again). Kate (9) said, "It looks like vomit," and she honestly could not get past that to taste the wonderful soup. I froze the leftovers and will try again.

Recipe:

3 medium ears of corn

4 oz. bacon cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 med onion

1/2 red bell pepper (1/2 inch dice)

1 or 2 spigs of thyme

1/2 t. cumin

1/8 t. tumeric

1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (1/2 inch dice)

3 c. chicken stock

2 t. corn starch dissolved in 2T. water

1 c. heavy cream

2 T. of chives or scallions for garnish

1. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and with the back of your knife scrape down the cobs to get the milky substance from the cobs.

2. Heat a 3 or 4 quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced bacon. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown. Pour off all but 1 T. of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.

3. Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, thyme, cumin, turmeric and saute stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for about 8 minutes, until the veggies are tender but not browned

4. Add the corn kernels, potatoes, and stock, turn up the heat, cover and boil vigorously for about 10 minutes. Some of the potatoes will have broken up. Use the back of your spoon to smash a bit of the corn and pototoes against hte side of the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and season the chowder with salt and pepper.

5. Stir the cornstarch mixture and slowly pour it into the pot, stirring constantly. As soon as the cowder has come back to a boil and thickened slightly, remove from the heat and stir in the cream.

From 50 Chowders by Jasper White.