Corn Chowder II

Nothing better than soup on a cold winter's day, right? I've shared a corn chowder recipe before - one that started with boiling corn cobs. (You can find it here.) That soup was delicious. Here's a different corn chowder for those times you don't have fresh corn on the cob. This thick, rich, satisfying soup uses canned corn. It was inspired by a recipe by Leann Mendez that was printed in the Sacramento Bee a decade or so ago, but (as usual) my version bears little resemblance to the original.

 

Corn Chowder

                                       7 T. butter, divided                                          1 15-oz can of corn

                                       2 carrots, chopped                                          6 T. flour

                                       3 celery stalks, chopped                                1 tsp. pepper

                                       1 small onion, chopped                                 1 tsp. salt

                                       2 cups water                                                    2.5 c. milk

                                       2 lbs. potatoes, diced  

In a large pot, melt 1 T. butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion, stirring until slightly softened. Add water and bring to a boil. Stir in potatoes. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  

While the potatoes are cooking, make a white sauce by melting remaining 6 T. butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pepper and salt. Whisk in milk. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

 

When potatoes are soft, add canned corn (including any liquid) to the vegetables.   

 

Add white sauce to vegetables and heat through. The soup is delicious as is, or you can garnish it with grated cheese, bacon, or both.  

Yum!