Thursday, December 8, 2011

Corn and Bacon Chowder

(Whoops! I accidently let a whole year slip by without updating
here; I hope to do better starting now with a recipe that I came
up with by combining a couple of different ones and adding a
twist or two of my own. Enjoy.)

Ingredients:

8 - 12 bacon strips
1 cup chopped white onion
2 medium potatoes
1/2 - 1 minced red bell pepper (Optional)
2 14.5 oz. cans whole kernel yellow corn
2 cups of whole milk (+ about 1/2 cup for mashing potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
6 - 8 ozs. shredded cheddar cheese
Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Peel and microwave the potatoes; mash, mixing with
enough milk to make them smooth. Set aside.

2. Cook bacon in frying pan over medium heat; remove
when crisp, drain on paper towels, then crumble. Pour off
about half of bacon fat.

3. While bacon is frying, add corn, milk and heavy cream
to a large saucepan.

4. Sauté onion and red pepper in remaining bacon fat until
tender. Transfer to saucepan.

5. Heat saucepan contents to simmering, stirring in bacon
and cheese; add salt. Stir in enough mashed potatoes to
begin to thicken the mixture. Let pan simmer without boiling
for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chowder
thickens the desired amount.

6. Remove from heat and serve.

NOTES:

1. Instead of whole milk and heavy cream, 2% milk and
half-and-half can be substituted.

2. The amount of mashed potatoes will vary; just use
what seems best to you for the thickness you'd like.

3. Pepper can also be used, although personally I
don't use it in this recipe. Also, if you want a somewhat
spicier chowder, you can easily add some hot paprika,
cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes; I'll most likely
use one of those the next time I make this chowder.

4. This chowder keeps well in the refrigerator.



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