Corn Chowder From Iowa Food

CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).
• Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley and give it another little drink of olive oil. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

ROASTED CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat; stir in corn and tarragon and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Place skillet with corn in the preheated oven; roast, stirring every 5 minutes, until lightly browned but not dry, about 20 minutes.
• Place bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon slices; drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat.
• Heat reserved bacon fat in Dutch oven over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to cook and stir until the onion is very tender and dark brown, about 15 minutes.
• Pour chicken stock over caramelized onions; stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to dissolve any browned bits, and bring to a boil. Stir corn, potatoes, parsley, garlic, celery, and paprika into onion mixture. Crumble bacon, reserving about 1/4 cup for garnish, and stir bacon into soup. Reduce heat to low; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir remaining 2 tablespoons butter and half-and-half into soup; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle reserved bacon and Cheddar cheese over soup to serve.

CORN CHOWDER WITH BACON

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings. , In the drippings, saute the onion, celery and green pepper until tender. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender., Combine flour and cream until smooth; stir into pan. Add corn. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in bacon.

SIMPLE CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Add onion; cook and stir over medium heat for 4 minutes or until tender. Add 4 cups corn; cook and stir until corn is softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until corn is tender. Cool slightly. , In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth; return all to the pan. Add the red pepper, rosemary, thyme, pepper, cayenne and remaining corn and broth; cook and stir for 10 minutes or until the corn is tender.

IOWA CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• In Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings.
• Add chicken, onion, and celery. Cook 10-15 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, in blender container combine 1 cup chicken broth and 2 cups corn. Blend on high speed until smooth, scraping sides occasionally.
• Into Dutch oven stir pureed corn, remaining corn kernals, potatoes, remaining chicken broth, and salt.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Stir in cream, parsley, and pepper; simmer 2-3 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning.
• Stir in bacon.

CORN CHOWDER FROM IOWA

Steps:

• Brown sausage & onion. Drain grease.
• Add potatoes, spices, and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes
• Add corn, cheese, and milk. Heat through. Serves 6.
• TIP: I usually brown up large batches of sausage and freeze in one-pound portions. Then, whenever I desire corn chowder, it's a quicker process -- I just throw in the browned frozen block of meat with the potatoes.

IDAHO-IOWA CORN AND POTATO CHOWDER

Steps:

• Brown the bacon in a heavy saucepan.
• Remove the bacon to a paper towel and drain the saucepan, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings.
• Cut the chicken into cubes.
• Add the chicken, onion, and celery to the drippings in the saucepan.
• Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables are tender, stirring constantly.
• Combine 2 cups of the corn and 1 cup of the chicken broth in a blender container and process until smooth.
• Add the pureed corn, the remaining broth, the remaining corn, potatoes, and salt to the chicken mixture.
• Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
• Stir in the cream and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the bacon, salt, and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls.

AMARANTH, QUINOA, AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the leeks, celery, red bell pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetable are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the amaranth and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the quinoa and thyme. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook at a gentle boil, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, puree 3 cups of the corn kernels with 1 cup of water. When the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, stir the corn puree and the remaining corn kernels into the soup. Add salt to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer until the quinoa and amaranth are tender, 3 to 5 more minutes. When the quinoa is done, there will be no starchy white dot in the center of each grain, and some of the germs' "tails" may unfurl and float freely. On close inspection, the amaranth will look like tiney opaque bubble floating on the surface.
• Stir in the milk and remaining tablespoon of butter. Add more salt, if needed. Divide into portions and garnish each with a little parsley.
• Note: The soup thickens on standing; thin as needed with additional milk, and add salt to taste.
• Variations:.
• For dots of color, use 2 tablespoons of red quinoa and a scant 1/2 cup ivory quinoa. Add the red quinoa when you add the amaranth.
• Use half-and-half or heavy cream instead of milk.
• Use dried tarragon instead of thyme.
• Shrimp, Corn, and Quinoa Soup.
• Instead of water, use 4 cups of fish or clam broth. Use oregano instead of thyme. Once the quinoa is tender, add 1/2 pound peeled small shrimp. Cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute. Omit the milk.

IOWA HAM AND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Combine onion, water, 1/2 cup chicken broth and potatoes in a large saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
• Use a spoon or masher to crush potatoes.
• Combine margarine and flour; stir into potato mixture.
• Blend in remaining broth, stirring until thickened.
• Stir in corn, milk, ham and pepper.
• Cook on low heat until chowder is hot.
• Top individual servings with desired garnishes.