Corn chowder with baby potatoes and dill

Yet another snowy day!  As I look out my office window I'm amazed at the sheer amount of snow on the rooftops of the house next door.  My roof had to be shoveled yesterday- it is an old, old house, and heat escapes everywhere, which leads to ice dams, which leads to huge leaks inside the house, which leads to crumbling ceilings.  Safe and sound and the snow is light and lovely but there really is an awful lot of it:)

Meanwhile, downstairs, I made a pot of chunky corn chowder perfect for a snow day:  chunks of baby potatoes, onions, and corn, finished off with cream and herbs. A pretty scene, and I relax with my bowl of soup, knowing the shoveling can come later, after the snow stops.


Chunky Corn Chowder with baby potatoes and dill

2 cups quartered baby potatoes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
water to cover the potatoes and onions

Simmer the potatoes and onion until just tender.
Do not drain the water off.

Add :
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock 
More water if necessary to just cover the vegetables

Simmer until the corn is tender, then add:

1 cup heavy cream.  DO NOT BOIL.  If you boil the cream, it will curdle.

Taste the soup and add more herbs or salt and pepper as desired.  This serves 4 .

Happy February!

corn chowder with bacon, leeks and fresh dill

Snow!  Lots and lots of snow to shovel, snowballs to throw, take a walk in the quiet of a gentle snowstorm.  Right now we have between 6 and 8 inches, and I'm hoping the forecast is wrong about freezing rain later tonight, because it's just beautiful right now.   

Last night I made a big pot of corn chowder, just in case we lost power.  It's light, but hearty, filled with chunks of potatoes and bacon,  sliced leeks and chopped dill, and the bright sunshine yellow of the corn.  What a perfect winter chowder!

Makes about 4 servings.

4 slices thick cut bacon, diced or sliced
2 cups unpeeled red potatoes, cut into large dice
1 sliced leek ( I use mostly the white part)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. unsalted butter
2 cups light chicken stock
water
1 t. thyme
2 T. fresh dill, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 cup medium cream

Cook bacon in the bottom of your soup pot until browned.   Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
Add the potatoes , leeks, olive oil and butter to the pot and stir.
Add the chicken stock and enough water to just cover the potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Add the thyme, salt and pepper and dill, then the frozen corn and bacon.  Simmer 10 minutes, then add the cream, turning heat to low.  DO NOT BOIL, or the cream will curdle.

Taste and add more seasonings as needed.

Enjoy the snow!