Corn Chowder

I can't recall when I was introduced to corn chowder. Our family had creamed corn, which was sweet and delicious and I guess my vision of corn chowder is based on that because since I've lived abroad, I've noticed that Europeans and Russians don't eat that much corn except a sprinkling here or there in a salad. My wife's family is from Altai and out there on the steppe, they had fresh corn. In the past five years, canned corn has become a 'normal thing' here.

Corn chowder is actually more of a fall dish, but I had the corn chowder blues and I had to make a little batch. My variant is rather a scrappy little thing made with bits and pieces. Here in Russia, it is possible to get small deli cuts of pork and sausage at any super market. I used a small pieced of well marbled, smoked pork shoulder, But you could use bacon, which might be even better. This recipe makes about 6 cups.

Ingredients

2 240 g (8 1/2 oz) cans whole kernel corn
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 1 stalk)
1 1/2 cups milk
150 g smoked pork shoulder, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken bullion (1 bullion cube in 1 1/2 cups water)
5 waxy new potatoes, diced into 1 cm cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp vegetable oil
fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

You will need a blender or food processor for this recipe

Prepare all ingredients before cooking. In a medium sized pot, heat the oil on medium heat. You won't need much oil becasue the pork will supply enough to flavor the soup. Add the pork and saute slowly for about 3 minutes, then add the onions, garlic and celery and saute until tender, about 5 - 7 minutes.

When the onion and pork mixture is tender, add the chicken broth and the potatoes. If there isn't enough liquid to the potatoes, add a little more water. Bring to just before a boil, reduce heat and cover. Let it simmer for about 10 - 12 minutes or until the potatoes are almost ready. New potatoes should cook pretty quickly.

In the meantime, put your corn and milk in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth and creamy. Use a spatula to pour the corn and milk mixture into the chowder. Mix the creamed corn and milk in with the chowder. Salt and pepper to taste, reduce heat and let it simmer on very low heat for about 3-4 minutes. The corn chowder should be a fragrant, chunky soup that isn't too thick. You can thin it out with a bit of milk if needed.

Garnish and serve. Goes well with a green salad and seafood or chicken.

Enjoy!