Creamy Corn Chowder

Yield: 4 – 10 ounce bowls

So winter seems to still be here and I found myself preparing this recipe. I LOVE this soup! I think if I was asked what food was my favorite it would be soup… never has to be the same twice and has nutrition in every spoonful! Corn chowder is my husband’s favorite soup, next to bean soup. I know every recipe seems to be my husbands favorite, but kinda true. This recipe started out as one my mother in law had cut out from a Family Circle magazine years ago. Had it once at her house and decided it needed a bit of tweaking. I feel this recipe is better and much lower in fat than her original! This hearty soup is sure to fill your belly and not tax your waistline (unless you want to add bacon and whole fat foods)… it contains most food groups too!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, 1” cubed
2 medium carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 -3 cups chicken broth (enough to cover vegetables in saucepan)
1 ½ cups frozen corn
2 cups low fat milk or fat free evaporated milk
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 4 springs fresh thyme
6 ounces (4 -5 slices) deli ham, cubed
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 ounces light cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheese of choice

Garnish: Extra shredded cheese. crumbled bacon, chopped parsley or fresh greens

Equipment:

4 quart saucepan or pot
Liquid and dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Cutting board
Chef knife
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Ladle

As always, gather and prep all vegetables needed first so they can be added and cook evenly together. Potatoes don't have to be peeled. I prefer the color variation and fiber they provide unpeeled. It's all your personal preference. Preheat olive oil in bottom of saucepan over medium heat for ~ 2 minutes or until oil starts to shimmer. Place diced onions and minced garlic in oil and stir with rubber spatula and allow to sauté for 2 minutes. Finish dicing and cubing vegetables. Remember safety first when chopping round vegetables. To safely chop or dice vegetables, start by evenly slicing veggie lengthwise into four even slices, depending on thickness. Separate slices in half and place flat on cutting board. Now that you have a flat surface, dice or chop depending on size of finished piece your require. For a dice, slice across first about ½ - ¼ “ and then turn vegetable sideways and cut similar size across. You will wind up with a even square. Potatoes are cubed 1” as shown above.

The rest of this soup recipe is super easy and requires little skill for the beginning cook, yet creates a meal sure to impress! Place carrots and celery into saucepan and sauté while stirring for 1 minute. Add potatoes and continue cooking for another minute to immerse the onion/ garlic flavor.

Pour enough chicken broth to cover all vegetables in saucepan and stir well. Bring saucepan to a boil and then reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are slightly tender.

The next step requires creating a slurry. Thickening any cooked liquid either starts with a cooked roux of flour and fat or a cold liquid with starch thickener. If you add a starch directly to a hot liquid you will wind up with lumps of goo. Ever had lumpy gravy? This was probably the culprit! The easiest way to thicken a broth - based cream soup is to whisk milk, flour and seasonings together well and add to the simmering liquid. Using a wire whisk to stir slurry works well. I know… the veggies get a bit stuck in the whisk, but your soup will be smooth.

Now continue to heat soup on medium-low heat until twice as thick as broth consistency. Will take about 5 minutes. Don't rush it by turning up the heat… ‘low, slow and stir’ is the dairy cooking motto I taught my foods students. Don't want to risk scorching the bottom and giving your soup a burnt taste. When the soup starts to steam a bit, it will thicken! Stirring means not constant too… stir in a figure eight motion about every 30 -45 seconds. Constant stirring will reduce the temperature. Assemble the sour cream, cream cheese and chop the sliced ham into ½ - 1 inch cubes and add to soup. Stir well to combine. Then add frozen corn and stir well. LAST the cheese is added. When cheese is added the heat should be reduced or turned off. Cheese may become rubbery if overcooked. Remember… Low, slow and stir!

Taste soup to check for seasoning… add salt a little at a time if needed. Can always add more but can't take it out if too much. I usually add salt ~ 1/8 teaspoon at a time and pepper, a grind or two. Ladle soup into bowls or soup mugs and garnish with a few sprinkles of shredded cheese and chopped parsley or fresh greens. I love using spinach or kale with their dark green color to compliment the creamy soup. Serve with crusty bread, garlic toast or my hubby’s favorite, crackers...Enjoy!!