Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Summer Corn Chowder

Soup is a meal that my husband could eat almost daily... me on the other hand, I'm good with soup every month or so.  However, today I was inspired by a few events to try this new Corn Chowder.  First, the sun came out!  After 3 weeks of July gray weather here in San Diego, we all perked up as the sun hit our faces and brightened up our world.  Second, my husband's schedule didn't really mesh with my kid driving schedule and I needed something that he could heat up easily and quickly.  And last but not least, Deb at Kahakai Kitchen hosts a weekly Souper Sunday roundup that I wanted to participate in (I know... it's not Sunday, but she will roundup on Sunday!).  

Last week's Souper Sunday included a White Corn Soup with Pobalano Cream Sauce posted by Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice that looked like something we would love.  Using corn and poblano as inspiration, I settled for a recipe I found in Fine Cooking Fresh.  I used their recipe as a guide and came up with something of my own that we truly enjoyed.

 Grilled corn & Poblano
The original recipe called for potatoes, and as we are not big potato fans, I substituted some yellow crookneck squash that my neighbor brought over from her garden.  We also love grilled poblano peppers and I happened to have a couple on hand so I chopped them up and tossed them in as well.  Bacon was called for, but to make this more of a hearty meal I added some shredded chicken instead.  All in all, I'm pretty darn proud of myself.  Brian sat down and skeptically asked, "Is this one of your creations?" (I may have had a few that weren't so good...), but quickly after his first bite he proclaimed this new chowder a keeper!




Summer Corn Chowder

3 ears of fresh corn, grilled
1 Tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbs jalapeño pepper, finely diced (increase or decrease as desired for spice)
1 small summer squash, chopped
1 roasted poblano pepper, peeled chopped
1½ cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
½ cup shredded chicken, cooked
1 tsp dried thyme
freshly ground pepper
1 scallion onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Grill the corn, cool, and remove corn from cobs.

Chop onion.  Heat butter in a large pot and add chopped onion.  Cook until onion is translucent and soft, add jalapeño and cook 1 minute longer.  Add the broth, water, squash, roasted poblano and thyme.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft - add water if soup becomes too thick.

Transfer 1 cup of the soup to a blender and purée.  Return the purée to the pot and stir.  Add shredded chicken and simmer for 5 more minutes to heat through.  Season soup to taste with salt and pepper, then ladle soup into bowls and top with scallion onions if desired.  Serve with a crusty bread for a hearty meal!



Corn on FoodistaCorn 

12 comments:

  1. Wasn't that sun we got so nice?! I just with mother nature would keep it up... Anyway, this soup looks delicious, and I am with your husband-I could eat soup everyday. I have never made a corn chowder but I think you have inspired me to give it a try!

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  2. Corn chowder or corn soup is so wonderful! With the peppers and chicken it would be such a tasty dinner. Thank you for sharing!

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  3. Thank you both!

    Yes... the sun was fantastic! What a mood enhancement.

    Lisa, I agree, the chicken was a good addition. My husband was happy!

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  4. What a beautiful-looking soup! I love the combination of ingredients, too... very fresh and summery.
    I might have to swing by the store on my way home tonight to pick up some corn, just so I can have some of that chowder for myself. :)

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  5. It looks delicious!Thanks for sharing the recipe,I cant wait to try this.If you won't mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

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  6. Isabelle, I hope you like it! The freshness is what I love... and for not being a soup fan, I really liked this one.

    Alisa, thanks! I'm a newbie, didn't know about the widgets... I added it!

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  7. Kim - that looks fantastic! Jeff loves corn chowder in any form!

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  8. Thanks Joe! That means a lot coming from you! :)

    Tiffany, I loved it too!

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  9. I like what you did with the recipe--it looks delcious--adding the shredded chicken is a brilliant idea. Hearty & healthier. ;-)

    Thanks for joining in Souper Sundays this week--hope to have you back!

    Aloha,

    Deb

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  10. The soup looks excellent! So hearty! I'm glad I inspired you...and truly you've inspired me right back. The flavors are so good together!

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  11. Thanks Deb! I liked the added chicken. My husband is not a "vegetable only" kind of guy. Add meat and he is happy! Thanks for hosting the Souper Sunday, I'm already planning another entry!

    Cinnamon Girl, thanks! Your soup's flavors are right up our alley. Poblano peppers are some of our favorites and I keep adding more recipes to our collection.

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