Corn Chowder

The weather is finally getting a bit cooler in sunny Brisbane town. So now we can bring out the doonahs, and the jumpers for a bit. Winter is a glorious time of year here, with blue skies and heaps of sunshine.  The sky becomes magically polarised into a deep blue, and the light is something an artist would die for.  Those citrus skies when twilight falls are pure magic.

beautiful twilight on the Brisbane River   

Well, bringing myself back to food... How about some chunky, warming soup this evening?  I had 2 cans of creamed corn in my pantry asking to be used, plus potatoes and cauliflower.  So with these simple ingredients you're set, folks.  Let's go ahead and make this dish.


Recipe adapted by Sherry's Pickings

Serves 6-8:


ingredients:


2 tbs olive oil

50g. butter

1 large red or brown onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 small red chillies, finely chopped (optional)

800g. potatoes, chopped into bite-sized chunks

500g. cauliflower, chopped into chunks

2 cans (420g. each = 840g.) of creamed corn

300 mLs of milk

500 mLs chicken or veg. stock

herbs - your choice - I used chives, parsley and oregano; some dried and some fresh

salt and black pepper to taste

a dash of cream or sour cream to serve (optional)

extra herbs to serve 


Method:


Throw the oil, butter, and onion into a large saucepan on a medium-low heat

Stir it for a few minutes then throw in the garlic and chillies

Stir for a few more minutes

Now add the potato and cauliflower chunks

Stir till everything is coated in the oil and butter mix 

Keep stirring for a few minutes

The creamed corn goes in next; give it a good stir

Add the milk, stock and herbs, salt and pepper

Stir in well, add a lid, put the heat to low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes till everything is tender and well-combined

You can either serve as is, with the chunks (Mr P. insisted) or grab a stick blender and whizz it around in the pan - very carefully - after you have let it cool down for a bit

Add a dash of cream or sour cream, season to taste, and bung on lots of herbs when serving


Notes:

No need to peel the potatoes unless they are old and wrinkly; I had new, washed spuds so they were fine as is

Add a few slices of chopped bacon with the onion, if you want a meaty hit

Consider some scallops (about 150g.) thrown in the pot for a couple of minutes at the end of cooking for a fishy hit

Add more stock and/or milk towards the end if you find it too thick

see, I told you it was sunny

add the oil and butter to the pan with the onion  

throw in the potato and cauli chunks 

pour in the stock and milk

stir in the herbs and seasoning 

soup, beautiful soup 

my cauli foodle