This year’s winter is ending in a slushy mess and it has gotten me down. First, sunny day teasing — on again off again — and then a nor’easter with a mix of snow and rain has made for too many bleak days. A winter wonderland with a foot of snow permanently on the ground and the everyday use of snow boots seems more appealing to me.
Spring is less than two weeks away but this dreary weather makes it feel so much farther away. My cure for these winter blues is a bowl of chowder.
If you look up the definition of chowder, you’ll find there are many different variations. Simply put it’s a soup or stew with a base of potatoes, corn and onion made with milk or tomatoes and typically consisting of some kind of seafood such as clams, shrimp or the catch of the day.
One of my summertime favorites is New England clam chowder. Well, a storm was rolling in and I wasn’t running to the store to wait in the bread-and-milk line to buy some clams. I figured I’d save a couple bucks and leave out the seafood.
The recipe I’ve provided below is still just as filling as a chowder full of seafood and by all means if you’ve got a bucket of clams hanging around feel free to add them to the pot!
Poor Man’s Potato & Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
8 slices uncooked bacon, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups new potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 can creamed corn
2 cups frozen or fresh corn
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
32 ounces chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons dried parsley or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
• In a 4 quart pot over medium heat cook the chopped bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until softened. Add the minced garlic, dried basil and thyme. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the diced potatoes, can of creamed corn and frozen corn, stir until well combined. Add the chicken stock and turn the heat up to medium-high heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are just fork tender.
• In a separate bowl stir together the milk and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely mixed in. Stir into the pot of soup. Bring to a boil; once the soup comes to a boil remove from heat. Stir in half of the cooked bacon set aside earlier. Add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more Tabasco or Worcestershire if desired. Use reserved bacon for garnish.
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