Cold Night, Hot Soup

I know I'm on a soup kick. I can't help myself. It's an unstoppable force of nature. When it's cold and snowy outside, I want hot and hearty inside. So once again it was soup for dinner last night! And it was one of my absolute favorites. Corn Chowder...mmmm. I struggle to exhibit any self control when corn chowder is present. Oh-my-gosh I love this soup! I have a number of recipes for it, some simple and some more complex. This one is by far the best. It came from Robin Davis in the Columbus Dispatch a couple of summers ago. But it needs fresh corn. So generally during the winter months I use the simpler versions. Imagine my delight when Kroger had fresh corn-on-cob this week! A sign from the corn gods that chowder was in my future...I can hear the angels singing:-)

Corn Chowder-Columbus Dispatch/Robin Davis

Cooking the corn cobs with the broth intensifies the corn flavor of the soup. If you want to cut the richness (and calories), use milk instead of cream or just use more broth.-Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients:

8 ears fresh corn, shucked
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional)

Cut the corn from the cobs. Set kernels aside.

Combine cobs and broth in a heavy large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Discard corn cobs.

Melt butter with oil in a heavy large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with flour. Stir 2 minutes. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add corn and cream to soup. Simmer until corn is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender. Blend until smooth. Return to remaining soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. If using, garnish with basil or parsley.

*Bob & I, like our friend HawaiiChef, are huge pork fans! So we crisp up thick cut bacon and chop it to garnish the chowder with the bacon & parsley...excuse me now, I'm feeling faint;-)