It's summer. It's July and it is 15 degrees Celsius and f***ing freezing frigid. There is rain, and grey skies and, well to be honest just plain gloomieness lurking through the Bourgois Streets of Berlin City. On this particular dreary and non-stop rainy Saturday, after a productive morning of IKEA and such, I decided to tackle somthing that would warm my body and soul after being outside in the wet wet rain. Corn Chowder. Granted, I have never done this before so this was a first for me, but I tried my best and I have to say it came out pretty damn well (My roommate had two huge portions. And she is a picky eater!) I did do some research just to see how other chowder affectionados prepare their chowder and they almost all call for celery. I think celery in soup or warm celery in general should be made illegal, because let's be honest, who likes the taste of old grandpa anyway?
Here is my celery free version of Corn Chowder.
1tbsp Butter
1 yellow onion
2/3tbsp of cubed bacon
2 Ears of fresh corn
3 Medium sized carrots
2 medium sized potatoes
2-2 1/2 cups of low fat milk
Instant chicken broth
curry powder
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Peel and chop the carrots, onion and potatoes into small cubed. In a bowl, cut the corn kernels off of the corn cobs (You could theoretically use corn from a can, but the fresh stuff is so much better. And cheaper!) Melt the butter in a pot and sautee the onion and bacon until the bacon is crisp and the onion translucent. Add all of the vegetables and stir until all the fat has covered the vegetables. Add the milk and just a bit of the chicken broth and bring it all to a boil over low heat. Once the potatoes and carrots are fully cooked, use a pureé stick to homogenise the soup to your liking. You can leave it as chunky or smooth as you wish. Add the curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper to taste and bring again to a boil. Serve with croutons or some fresh cut herbs on top. If you have, sprinkle some chipotle into the soup. The smokey flavour of the spice goes wonderfully with the corn and brings out the comforting flavor.
