Sweetcorn and Potato Chowder
Capture the last days of summer with a beautiful chowder, made from the sweet and sunny sweetcorn. Chowder is a soup with either cream, or milk added to it; traditional ingredients are potatoes, sweetcorn, smoked haddock/ seafood, or bacon. This is my version and it is such an easy recipe: it takes about 20 minutes from start-to-finish. Make it faster by using organic frozen sweetcorn, it’s one of the standby ingredients I always have in my freezer. And, if using fresh corn on the cobs you will need to safely remove the sweetcorn kernels from the husks, to start. Sweetcorn helps bring a nutty sweetness to this comforting soup, it’s a recipe which my kids love.
One of the main nutritional benefits of sweetcorn is its high fibre content. Corn is also rich is in Vitamin B12, folic acid and iron all of which help the production of red blood cells in the body.
Ingredients ~
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and finely diced
2 sticks of celery, peeled and finely diced
215g floury potatoes (roughly 4 medium potatoes)
3 level tablespoons plain flour
650 ml homemade stock
300g sweetcorn (kernels only if using fresh)
1 bay leaf
150 ml whole milk
to serve ~ grated cheddar, chopped parsley, chopped ham
Take a large pot and add the olive oil, onions, and celery. Saute for 10 minutes until soft and translucent, keep the pot on a low heat, you don’t want to add colour to the onions. Meanwhile wash the potatoes, you keep the skins on, but remove any blemishes, then cut into small dice. When the onions and celery are soft add the cubed potatoes and the plain flour. Combine using a spatula, until all the vegetables are evenly coated in the flour. Next add stock, sweetcorn kernels and a bay leaf. Turn up the heat and bring the soup up to a simmer. Then simmer the chowder for 15 minutes; to cook the potato. You want the potatoes to hold their shape and still have a little bite; don’t overcook them. To finish the soup, add the whole milk and a handful of chopped parsley and black pepper.
Finally, serve the soup warm in bowls, sprinkle with grated cheese, or chopped ham (both optional) and some bread rolls.