With all of this corn Jamie says you are all looking for ideas and I have a great one for you. When I picked up my share on Friday I stopped by the farm stand and picked these up knowing I wanted to share this recipe with you.
This is called a summer chowder because it’s not a thick and creamy, and often heavy, chowder base, it is light and thin. It is not light and thin on flavor though because it is packed with summer corn which is so sweet you really don’t need much else to make a delicious meal. I use this recipe on days just like today, the late summer days that are cool, almost like fall. This chowder only takes about 30 minutes tart to finish, this what you do to get is meal going:
Shuck 5-6 ears of corn. Using a knife, take the raw corn off of the cob directly into your soup pot. I like to use a heavy cast iron pot so it cooks quickly and holds its heat. Don’t throw all of the cobs into the compost yet, you will need two of them in the pot in a little bit.
This recipe calls for 2 sprigs of thyme but I forgot to grab some at the farm so I used some tarragon from my herb garden, use whatever fresh herbs you have available to you.
Into the pot it goes with about 2 Tablespoons of Amish roll butter. Turn the pot on medium and get the corn going, stirring frequently for about ten minutes to get the corn tender.
While the corn and herbs are cooking you have time to peel and chop two sweet potatoes. You can also use white or yellow potatoes but I am a fan of the sweet potato. Add them to the pot.
These cook for only 3-4 minutes with the corn and herbs.
Add four cups of chicken stock or vegetable broth to the pot with two of the corn cobs. It may seem strange to add the cobs back in but don’t skip this step, it’s so important in the development of the flavors in the chowder. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Remove the cobs (you can compost them now) and add 3/4 cup of dairy, I like to use half and half for this chowder. Using a stick blender, blend the chowder, but not until it’s smooth. You want chunks in the chowder but the blending will help to thicken up the base.
I served the chowder with homemade oat scones slathered with honey cinnamon butter and a plate of cheeses and prosciutto. It was a delicious meal. I recommend you give this summer chowder a try. Enjoy!