CORN NUTS

Yes we are.  We love us some corn in our house. Our favorite way to eat it is Mexican-style.  We barbecue whole ears of corn in their husks (no need to soak first as some recipes recommend) and then, once roasted, we shuck the corn, spread it with mayo, roll in crumbled cotija cheese, and then devour with a squeeze of lime and lots of Valentina (or Cholula, in a pinch) hot sauce.  It is so messy, so good, and just this is often our dinner in the summer time.  (And look at that, a recipe!)

At the farmer's market yesterday I picked up some corn and thought to do Mexican corn for dinner tonight, but I changed my mind after spending all day at the water park.  Even though it is close to 100º in our backyard right now, I decided to make a hearty corn chowder because splashing in the sun makes a person hungry.  Almost everything in my chowder came from the farmer's market and I prepped it and got it simmering in under 30 minutes.  We will have this for dinner along with a crisp, cold, butter lettuce salad.

CORN CHOWDER CITYMAMA-STYLE

Whenever you add something to the pot, remember to add a little salt, too.

half a package of bacon, diced (I like Beeler's preservative-/nitrite-free bacon)
a splash of olive oil
one large Walla Walla onion, diced
2 stalks of celery and the leaves, chopped
a bell pepper or as many baby peppers as you can carry in two hands (~10), chopped (this is optional)
4 medium ears of corn
as many new Yukon Gold potatoes as you can carry in two hands (I carried exactly 10)
water
milk or half-and-half (whatever you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy soup/stock pot, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked though but not brown.  Then add the onion, celery, and peppers and let them cook down. In the meantime, carefully scrape the kernels from the corn using a sharp knife.  If the kernels are particularly milky that is a good thing.  Save it.  Using a flexible chopping mat helps to get all the kernels and any liquid into the pot, otherwise I always chop on wood.  Better for the ol' knives. 

Once the kernels are in the pot, let them cook for a few minutes while you chop the potatoes.

Now add some water to the soup pot until it reaches about half way up the sides—six to eight cups depending on how big your pot is.  (I use the 8-quart pot shown here.)  Then slide in your cubed potatoes.  Bring to a boil, and them immediately reduce heat to a bare simmer.  Spend a few minutes skimming foam off the surface of the soup.  It's nasty and clouds up your broth.  Once this is done, let the soup simmer until potatoes are cooked though and flavors deepen, about 30 minutes.  Turn off heat.

Just before serving add a cup or two of milk or half-and-half.  Adjust salt and pepper.  Warm soup through and serve topped with fresh-snipped marjoram.

Comments

[Cathy]

This reminds me that soup, or chowder, is so good anytime! I used to work in the restaurant biz, and the chef added the stripped cobs to the broth. He said it adds even more corn flavor. Remove, of course, before serving! Thanks for all your inspiring food ideas.

[CityMama]

Yes, Cathy, I do that, too. If I can get to them before Bunny does. She loves to eat the stripped cobs almost as much as whole ones.

[bitemycookie]

romy, i love your food styling! this sounds yum.

[greensunflower]

I made this last night. It came out pretty well, but I think I did two things wrong. I added 8 instead of 6 cups of water and it was way to watery. And I forgot to salt every level of food added, so only the broth had salt in it, and I didnt add it unti the end. So it didnt have a chance. I had my family over and the four of us still devoured it and a salad made with farmer's market tomatoes and vinaigrette.

[CityMama]

Thanks for the feedback greensunflower--you can also use even less water/broth (like, 4 cups) and more milk in the end. The soup should be brothy rather than chunky and thick (like canned chowder).