With the onset of cooler weather just around the corner, I start thinking of recipes like soups and stews, slow cooker roasts and warm breads.  What does the fall remind you of?  Corn mazes perhaps? The weather is perfect for backyard bon fires, walks in the battlefields, excursions to corn mazes and pumpkin patches. It is a great time to spend with family and friends , around a fire and enjoying what life has to offer.

I thought making a nice chowder would be great even though the weather has been a bit warmer than usual. Chowder is a seafood or vegetable stew (or thickened soup), often served with milk or cream. New England clam chowder, perhaps the best known chowder, is typically made with chopped clams and diced potatoes, in a mixed cream and milk base, often with a small amount of butter.; corn chowder, which uses corn instead of clams is a nice substitute for those of you who may not like clams.  I also added chicken (you could add ham, turkey or even sausage if you prefer)

 

I find using fresh ingredients and knowing ahead of time what I have on hand and how I will be using it makes preparation of a meal that much more pleasurable.  I gathered all the items I needed out and wanted to start with roasting the corn because that needs to cool for me to handle it. It was an ideal evening to roast corn on the grill, or so I thought. I got it started and went back out to check the corn and low and behold we were out of gas.  I informed my husband of this so he could change it out for me (he is very good at keeping a spare for just this reason) unfortunately the spare we had was missing a gasket, no grilling tonight! I am lucky enough to have a stovetop griller which came in handy.  The corn still came out as expected~ recipe Saved!

This soup is creamy and filling.  It makes a lot so make sure you have enough people to feed!  The cilantro basil drizzle really complimented the roasted corn very well. I love the different flavors that can be thrown together. The cilantro and basil are very pungent and in fact added to the flavor of the soup.  If you are going to skip the drizzle I would add maybe some fresh cilantro or basil to the recipe for the flavors.  Don’t rob yourself!

You will need the following

3 tbsp canola oil

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced

4 ears corn

2 celery stalks chopped

1 jalapeño pepper seeded and diced

1 medium red onion diced

 

2 beefsteak tomatoes chopped

6 cups of chicken broth

1 lb of cooked chicken shredded or cubed

½ pint heavy whipping cream

Cilantro oil (recipe follows)

Salt and pepper to taste

Crusty warm baguette

 

Start with the chicken, in a large pot boil salted water and add the chicken until it is cooked through. Remove from the water and set aside to cool a bit. Once cool Shred the chicken with two forks. In a large pot over medium high heat add the canola oil, onions, garlic, celery and jalapeño pepper to sauté for 4 minutes. Add the broth and potatoes and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Once the potatoes are tender reduce the heat to low and use a potato masher to mash at least half of the potatoes if not a bit more.

Meanwhile, roast the corn over a medium high grill. Allow corn to cool enough to touch, and then remove the kernels with a sharp knife. Add the corn to the pot and simmer for 6-8 minutes before adding the chicken and tomatoes. Simmer for 3 minutes then add the heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste.

 

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the cilantro/basil oil. Serve with warm crusty bread for dipping.

 

Cilantro/Basil oil

Prep time: 2 minutes

 

½ C. Fresh Basil chopped

1/2 C. fresh cilantro chopped

1/3 C. olive oil

Salt /pepper to taste

 

 

Combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. The smells in the kitchen when you start chopping herbs is just wonderful!  I can’t tell you how much I enjoy flitting around the kitchen listening to my music and bringing everything together.

 

Let me know how you enjoy the recipe and by all means leave me some feedback.

 

Bon appétit

 

LauraLovingLife

 

Excerpts from wikipedia

Related articles

• Bacon Corn Chowder (allergybites.me)
• Corn Chowder (deliciousonadollar.com)
• Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder (gingersmoothyandottopilot.com)
• New England Clam Chowder…’tis the season for soup! (glutenfreemedley.wordpress.com)
• Smokey Corn & Lentil Chowder With Shrimp (thiscountrygirlcooks.com)