Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

From Kim Warren's Family Comfort Favorites Cookbook

Ingredients:

4 pieces Thick-cut Bacon,

cut into 1/2” pieces

4 ears of Corn, husked*

1 large Carrot finely diced

1 Shallot or small Yellow Onion finely diced

2 cloves Garlic minced

Leaves from 3 large sprigs of Fresh Thyme

(about 1 tsp.)

6 cups Chicken Broth

1/3 cup Wild Rice, uncooked

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

2 Tbsp. Flour

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground White Pepper

*The corn can be grilled or in a pinch you

can use frozen corn kernels and roast

them in the oven.

Kim’s easy steps

1 Place ears of corn on a cookie sheet or shallow dish

and roast in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30

minutes, turning once half way through cooking time.

You’ll want the corn to get some brown color on it.

Let cool enough to work with, then cut the kernels

off the cob.

2 In the meantime, in a heavy bottomed dutch oven

or stock pot, heat 1 to 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil over

medium to medium high heat and add bacon

pieces. Cook the bacon, stirring often until nice and

brown. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon, leaving

the pan drippings behind. Then remove all but 2

Tbsp. of drippings and add carrot, shallot, and garlic;

let them sauté over medium heat until they sweat,

but don’t brown the vegetables.

3 Add the chicken broth and scrape the sides and

bottom of the pan to get the brown bits off. Bring

the chicken broth to a low boil and add the corn,

rice, thyme leaves and bacon. Add salt (if needed)

and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 20 minutes or

until wild rice is tender.

4 Whisk cream and flour together, then whisk into

the soup. Bring to a simmer and let lightly bubble

for 5 minutes or so until it thickens slightly. warmed

through.

5 Serve.

Potato Leek Soup

4 leeks (white and green parts)
4 C. potatoes, peeled and diced (3-4 large)
5 C. water (I use chicken broth)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. shredded cheese
1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
1 C. milk (skim or 1%)
1/4 tsp. pepper

Separate and wash leeks thoroughly; slice into 1/2 inch pieces.  In a
large nonstick saucepan saute the potatoes and leeks in butter or
margarine for several minutes until leeks are limp, stirring to
prevent browning.  Add broth, pepper and salt; simmer chowder 30
minutes until potatoes are very tender.  Add mild and heat; do not
boil.  Soup should be thick, creamy, and green from the color of the
leeks.  Mash some of the potato chunks to thicken the soup or puree in
blender if smooth and creamy soup is desired.  Add cheese after soup
is thickened.  You can use as much cheese as your taste desires.

Courtesy of Colleen Nelson

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 medium yellow or red onion, sliced
1    medium carrot, cut into thirds
1    celery stalk, cut into thirds
2    garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon (optional)
1    teaspoon coarse salt or regular salt
1    teaspoon black pepper
2-3 sprigs of thyme or parsley (1 teaspoon)
4    boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
1/3 cup butter or margarine

In a straight-sided skillet or pot, melt the margarine and on medium heat, fry the onions a little.
When the onions start to become soft, add the chicken and cook until exterior is white.  Cover with water by 1/2 inch.
Bring to a boil over high. Cook for three minutes, then add all over ingredients.  Cook until celery is tender, stir occasionally.
Let stand for 10 minutes then serve.