Cool Down Corn Chowder

Today our local weatherman says “The Muggy Meter” is rising, and we didn’t start our air conditioner.  So I decided to see if my Aunt Carol was right (fifty years ago) when she said, “On a hot day…eat hot foods and you will cool down.”

So for dinner on this hot summer night I made…SOUP!

I had everything I needed to make CORN CHOWDER.  And then I decided to see how many helpful hints and cooking tips I could come up with while preparing the soup.

• Use a HEAVY BOTTOM POT when making soup…especially cream based soups.  It will help to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan and scorching.  DO NOT use a Stock Pot!  Those pots are for making stock!  (DUH!)

• When a recipe calls for both bacon and onion, ALWAYS cook the bacon first and remove it from the pan before sauteing any veggies.  Bacon will never get crispy if you put it in the pan with those other ingredients.

• When chopping vegetables, first always cut them so you have a FLAT side.  Then lay the flat side on the cutting board and finish cutting.  It will keep your knife from slipping.  

• And don’t lift the tip of your knife from the board.  Move the food to the knife and your fingers will all still be attached when it’s time to eat your meal.  As one of my culinary students quipped “Flat is your FRIEND” in the kitchen!

• When washing fresh herbs, rinse them under cold water and then stick them upside down into a wide mouth glass or vase filled with cool water.  Then plunge them up and down several times.  All the remaining dirt will fall to the bottom of the glass.  (I walked out to my herb garden to pick these for dinner…so you can’t get much fresher than that!)  Remove them from the glass and dry on paper towels.  Then chop as needed.

• To store fresh herbs, I simply place them (like a bouquet of flowers) in a short glass.  I make sure the stems are in about an inch of water.  I store them, uncovered,  in the refrigerator until needed.  You can also wrap the washed herbs in paper towels and place in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  And try not to cut basil with a knife!  The edges will turn black!  Just tear the leaves.  But if you DO use a knife, make sure it’s very sharp to minimize bruising the herb.  And you can fill ice cube trays with chopped herbs, and cover with water and freeze. Then pop out the cubes and store in freezer bags. Simply add several “herb ice cubes” to soups and stews in the winter! It’s a great way to add more flavor. (You can even use them in drinks, like mint in lemonade, mojitos, etc.)

Flat Leaf Parsley, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives

• When using fresh corn in a soup recipe, THROW THE COBS IN TOO as the soup cooks! There is LOTS of flavor in the cobs, and they will help to thicken the soup.  Then simply remove the cobs when the soup is finished.

• When chopping ingredients for a recipe, use a tool called a BENCH SCRAPER to move the chopped food to it’s final destination.  I use one for making salads and soups, and to cut dough into pieces and move it.  It’s an awesome tool!

• And when adding milk or cream to soups…use the one with the MOST fat you can tolerate!  (I used the last of my heavy cream in this soup.)  The higher the fat content of the dairy product, the lower the chance of your soup curdling.  Skim milk and soup are NOT friends!!!

• Do NOT allow cream based soups to boil!  Keep them at the lowest simmer for best results.

MY “COOL DOWN” CORN CHOWDER

8 slices thick cut bacon, diced, fried til crispy, and removed from the pan
1 medium onion, diced
2 small sweet red peppers
3-4 medium carrots, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2  medium potatoes, diced (peel them if you want to.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Approx. 3 C. chicken broth  (I used Low Sodium so I could control the salt level)
4 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels removed from the cob (but add the cobs during cooking)
1 Knorr Vegetable Bouillon Cube  (I LOVE THOSE THINGS…I use them ALL the time!)
1 or 2 C. cream or milk
Fresh Herbs-to taste

Cook bacon and remove from the pan.  Throw all veggies, salt and pepper into the remaining bacon fat and stir for several minutes to begin cooking and to coat with bacon drippings.  Then add the chicken broth and bullion cube.  Make sure liquid almost covers the veggies.  If not, add a small amount of water or more broth.  Cover and cook on medium-low for about 15 minutes, stirring several times.  Remove cover, add cooked bacon and cook for another 5-10 minutes.  Remove cobs and discard.  Lower heat to lowest setting and stir in the cream or milk and add the fresh herbs.  Stir and allow flavors to blend for several minutes.  SERVE!