Candace in the Kitchen

Archive for the ‘Soups/Stews’ Category

I finally got around to making this BB recipe and I wish I hadn’t. Please don’t hate me Ina.

I made it as directed and didn’t like it so I added a little chicken stock, cannelini beans, light red kidney beans and more chili powder + cayenne pepper. Still wasn’t great.

I gave my husband a sample.

Me: is there anything I could add to make it better?
H: Flavor?
Me: I know! Should I take it to work? I hate to waste the ingredients + time.
H: Do you still want people to think you can cook?

Jill of My Next Life chose Cheddar Corn Chowder as the first October BB recipe. I LOVE soup and it is just starting to get cool here in NC so I was really excited about this. I am not posting a picture because this is a pretty unattractive dish. Granted, I could have tried harder and dirtied 10 bowls to make it work, but I just didn’t want to.

Since I didn’t need to feed 10 people I cut the recipe in half (except I used the full amount of cheese. I mean, why not?) I thought it was really good but could have used just a touch of cayenne pepper for heat. Next time I will add 1/8-1/4 t.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
• 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
• 2 cups half-and-half ( I used fat free)
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.