Description
This hearty corn chowder made with fresh corn is full of flavor!
Ingredients
1 lb chorizo
1 large onion
3 ribs of celery
1 large yukon gold potato, diced (skin on is ok)
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
5 ears of corn, de-kernelled, kernels set aside
4 cups seasoned homemade chicken or vegetable broth (or water with 1 1/2 T Better than Bouillon)
1 cup cream
1 large pepper, roasted and peeled (for a kick and good flavor, use pasilla)
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce (optional)
cilantro (optional)
Instructions
Brown the chorizo in a pot that holds at least 4 quarts. Unless the sausage is really lean, you don’t need to add oil yet.
When the sausage is browned, add the diced onion, celery, potato, and butter. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sweat these vegetables until they are about halfway tender (10 minutes or so).
Add the flour and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the cold broth, corn ears, bay, and thyme. Bring this to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Using tongs and the back of a knife, lift the ears out of the pot one at a time and scrape the remaining starchy corn off the cob back into the pot.
Cooking and scraping the ears is the secret to a great corn chowder!
When all the ears have been scraped and removed, add the corn kernels, cream and diced peppers, and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed and serve with hot sauce and cilantro if desired.
Notes
Once the flour is added, it’s really important to keep the heat on medium-low while stirring and scraping the bottom frequently. It’s easy to scorch a chowder.
