I like a good chowder.

This recipe has been in my recipe book for quite a while.  I don’t remember how it got there or whether I have made it before.

The piece of paper says that the recipe comes from Cuisine Magazine 30 March 2004.  I haven’t been able to verify this nor who contributed the recipe.   I didn’t subscribe to the magazine way back then. I tried Cuisine Magazine’s web site and searched for the recipe but to no avail.  Maybe the recipes on the web don’t go back that far.

Anyway, I made it and it tastes jolly good so if you feel like a nice filling soup for lunch that is pretty easy to make, give it a go.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium leeks, finely sliced (This seems like a lot but I used them and they are not overpowering).
• 6 bacon rashers, finely diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, finely diced
• 1 medium potato, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• olive oil
• chicken stock – The recipe says 500mls but I used close to 2 litres and still my soup was very thick.  If I was you, I would have more than 500mls handy and just keep adding until it’s the thickness you like.
• 440 g can corn kernels drained or 3 cobs of corn.  I used 500g bag of frozen corn.  I had it, so why not?
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 30g butter
• ¼ cup plain flour
• 1 cup milk

1. In a large pan, saute the bacon, sweet potato, potato and carrots in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock, cover and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes (until the vegetables are tender).
4. Stir in the corn.  If you are using fresh corn, you would probably need to add it a bit sooner than this.
5. Taste then add salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste.  If you are using commercial chicken stock, salt would have already been added so be careful with the seasoning.
6. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
7. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
8. Gradually stir in the milk.  Continue stirring until the mixture boils and thickens.  Don’t worry if your white sauce is lumpy.  Just get out your stick blender and give it a blast and very soon it will be smooth.
9. Stir the white sauce into the vegetable mixture.
10. Reheat to serve.

Serving:

The recipe says to put 1 – 2 tbs each of diced avocado and Ferndale Maestro Blue (a top award winning NZ blue cheese) in the bottom of each bowl before pouring in the hot chowder.  Maus had crossed out ‘Ferndale Maestro Blue’ and had written ‘White Castello’ , (clearly an easily available substitute for Australians, as any blue cheese would be).  We have some White Castello and I bought an avocado specifically for the purpose but, alas, we have had the chowder twice and both times I have forgotten to add them.  They do sound like very nice additions,  although the chowder is very yummy on its own.