Mission Challenge: Corn Chowder Recipe
DAY 79 - It’s corn season, so let’s see some corn recipes (though what’s better than on the cob with butter, salt, and ground chilies?). To get you started, here’s a basic corn chowder from Johanna; it’s a 100-mile adaptation of a recipe in The Political Palate, a feminist vegetarian cookbook by the Bloodroot Collective. The original recipe calls for nutmeg, but there are plenty of local herbs and spices that you could throw in by the handful with this. My favourite is sage, especially after the leaves have been fried crisp, but I’m also big on thyme, cilantro, chili peppers, coriander, parsley, chives… –JBM
Cream of Corn Soup
1) Use fresh, local, August corn. Scrape kernels from cobs of 1 dozen ears of corn using a curved-blade knife, if available. Set kernels aside. Boil cobs in water to cover for ½ hour. (I add leftover cobs from corn on the cob if I have them too)
2) Chop ½ small onion, ½ red pepper and a sprig of lovage (about 6 inches or to taste) and sauté in 2 tbsp butter. Add 2 tbsp sifted flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add ½ cup milk and ½ cup whipping cream and bring to a boil.
3) Remove cobs from their broth and discard. Add cob liquid to vegetables and bring to a simmer. Don’t boil or soup will curdle. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now add corn kernels. If soup seems too thick add milk until consistency is right. You may add ½ tsp honey to intensify the sweet corn taste.
Serves 6 to 8
