Corn Chowder

Corn chowder holds a special place in my heart. Some years ago I was recovering from major surgery and my Mom came to stay with me. She whipped up some corn chowder. I remember feeling so warm and cared for as I ate the chowder. I think it's the only time she ever made it. I asked her for the recipe earlier this year and she couldn't remember ever having made it. That's ok. I remember.

So, since Mother has no idea how to make corn chowder I had to go from memory of how it tasted and try to replicate it. This is the recipe I came up with. First a disclaimer. My photographer was not feeling  up to taking pictures today, so these are mine. I know they are not great. Just bear with me.

The ingredients: Corn, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, bacon, potatoes, chicken broth, cream and cayenne.

First dice your bacon. Ok, I just sliced it in 1/4 inch slices. Notice this bacon is ridiculously fatty. Not to worry. That's not a bad thing in this chowder.

Then, prepare your other ingredients. Red bell pepper, onion, potato and garlic.

A quick tip for cutting corn off the cob. To keep it from scattering all over the counter, put the end of the cob in a bowl. It will catch the corn and prevent a big mess. I unfortunately forgot this tip on the first cob. Luckily, my dog loves fresh sweet corn and cleaned the floor. If you don't have a sweet corn loving dog, try to remember this on the first cob. I actually made my photographer come into the kitchen to take this picture. It's that important.

Put the bacon in a large sauce pan and sauté over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.

Drop the red bell pepper in the same pan and sauté for about a minute. Remove and drain on a paper towel. You can put them on the same plate as the bacon. They will go back in the pan at the same time.

Remove bacon fat leaving about 2 T. in the pan.

Add the onion, garlic and cayenne. Sauté until the cayenne blooms - or starts to be very aromatic. Add the potatoes and corn. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add 3 c. of chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Here's my top secret tip. Put one of the corn cobs in the pot. It will make your soup taste cornier. And that's a good thing,

Yes, I slopped all over the stove. I can't cook without making a mess on the stove. It's like things leap out of the pot.

After the potatoes are tender, remove the corn cob. It's served its purpose. Drop that bad boy in the trash like an old boyfriend. Take 2 cups of the soup and put it in the blender or food processor.  Blend  the soup until smooth and return to the pot. This step is important as it thickens the soup and makes it a creamy chowder.

Then put in the bacon, peppers and 1/2 c. of cream. Simmer until it's the thickness you like. If it gets too thick put in a little chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste.  Put in a bowl and garnish with some fresh chives.

And here it is in all its corny bacony creamy goodness.

Serve it with a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, a biscuit, or all by itself. It's warming and luscious. A perfect use for all that fresh corn that's available right now. If it's the middle of winter, you can use frozen corn kernals. You'll miss the richness from the cob, but you'll survive.

So here's my recipe:

Corn Chowder

6 slices of bacon, chopped

1 red pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 6 to 8 ears)
3-4 potatoes peeled and cut in ½ “ cubes

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

3 cups low-salt chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

Chopped fresh chives

Sauté bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pot leaving bacon drippings. Add red pepper and sauté for three minutes. Remove.

Drain off excess bacon fat leaving 2T.  in pot.

Add onion, garlic and cayenne. Sauté for 30-45 seconds. Long enough to smell the cayenne. Add corn and potatoes. Sauté until onion is translucent. About 5 minutes.

Add broth and simmer until potatoes are tender. About 20 minutes.

Put two cups of soup in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in bacon, red pepper and cream. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more broth if too thick.

Pasta con Prosciutto e Piselli

We didn't photograph tonight's dinner for a number of reasons. Mainly because the kitchen is a mess. But, I want to share this recipe with the promise that we'll photograph it next time we make it.

I learned in Italy to not over sauce the pasta. It's best when lightly sauced so that the pasta and the sauce combine to make a perfect combination.  After years and years of over saucing pasta, I've learned how wonderful it is with less sauce.

The other thing I learned is why it's so important to cook pasta al dente. Al dente pasta continues to cook after it's out of the water. When you add the sauce, the pasta absorbs the flavor making it all the more delectable. Why did it take me over 50 years to learn this?

I've had this dish several times in Italy. I loved it and wanted to try to make it but thought it must require special skills to make something so wonderful. Boy was I wrong.  I had no idea how easy it is!

I first made this to use up an Easter ham. Then I found myself buying a ham just to have the leftovers to make this. Now I just buy a slice of ham. It's delicious and very quick. You can have the sauce ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta. I prefer fettuccine. Barilla fettuccine rigate is my favorite. It has little ridges on the pasta to help hold the sauce.
3 T. butter
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 - 3/4 c. frozen or shelled peas
8 oz. ham cut into thin strips.
1 1/2  c. heavy cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Put water for pasta in a large sauce pan. Salt it, but don't put any oil in. It prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta. Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes. Or until the pasta is al dente. Drain.

In the mean time,

Melt 1 T.  butter in a frying pan or saucier.
Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent - about 4 minutes.
Add peas and one tablespoon of water. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Add ham and  cook for another 3 minutes or until ham is heated through.
Add cream and bring to a low simmer for about 5 minutes. It will reduce.
At this point I usually add some pepper. I've never put salt in, but you can if you want. I find the ham adds plenty salt.
Stir in remaining butter until it melts and add grated Parmesan.
Stir until Parmesan melts - about 15 seconds.

Pour over pasta and toss.

The if you time it right, the pasta and sauce will be done at the same time.

You can put a little Italian parsley on the top if you are into presentation. I don't bother. It's usually gone before I even think about it. Try it. You can thank me later.