Thursday: Corn Chowder
So last Thursday I made this and people seemed to like it. The recipe below only makes 5 servings. It keeps well, though, so that should be a manageable amount.
The Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 pound (455 g) potatoes - peeled and cubed
1/2 pound (225 g) bacon (see note)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons (15 g) all-purpose flour
4 cups (950 ml) milk
1/4 teaspoon (2 g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper
1-1/2 (14.75 ounce) cans (or just 620 grams ) creamed corn
2 tablespoons (15 g) shredded Cheddar cheese
dash paprika
DIRECTIONS
Boil potatoes in salted water until soft. (see note, below)
Drain.
Mash half of the potatoes and set aside
Fry the bacon until very crisp. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Dump the cooked onions into a medium stockpot. Add the flour and heat until the mixture is bubbly and the flour is well dissolved. Add the milk and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. You need to watch your pot pretty carefully while bringing to a boil and heating. The bottom tends to easily scorch. Once boiling add the salt, pepper, bacon, corn and all the potatoes. (If desired reserve some of the bacon for the garnish.)
Heat soup until hot. Serve garnished with a dash of paprika, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and some crumbled bacon.
The Notes
I made a veggie version of this by striking the bacon and replacing it with 1-2 chopped green bell peppers. Fry them in butter and add the onions when they're mostly cooked. Then continue as usual.
I also like to increase the salt and pepper to taste and add ancho chile pepper to the oil at the beginning. Really, any roasted pepper would work, too. You're looking to add a smoky warmth to the flavor. Chopped green onions / chives make a fine garnish to this soup.
Consider microwaving your potatoes. Not only is it faster, but it uses less water and minimizes the leaching of nutrients from the potatoes. Cut them up roughly, put them in a tightly covered microwave-safe container and set them on “high” for 6-8 minutes for two medium (probably “large” in Japan) potatoes. If you like potatoes, it's worth experimenting a bit to see exactly how long they take in your own microwave.
I find a wooden spoon works well for mixing the flour and oil
If you can't find creamed corn, substitute canned sweet corn: drain 1/4 of the juice from the can and replace it with half-and-half or cream. Puree if you like. Otherwise, just toss it in.
The Resource
Your own library / your neighborhood
Call it a cop-out resource if you like, but I've found a lot of cool stuff by digging through my predecessor's library. In my apartment alone, I have a massive vegetarian cookbook, Vol. 1 of the Joy of Cooking, paperback edition (it's so comprehensive: it tells you how to cook everything from rhubarb to brains.) and a couple of others.
Holding a book swap is a good way to exchange resources.
Another idea would be to do a cooking exchange with someone (works like a language exchange, except you bring/teach each other typical foods from your countries).
Finally, don't forget the delicious recipes that your fellow JETs shared at the beginning of the year conference!
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