Today I had fresh corn on the cob and leeks. I would have just made my traditional potato and leek soup, but I had this corn, 30 ears of it. I blanched and froze most of it, but left out 5 ears to make soup. I thought corn chowder sounds good, but hey, I have these nice-looking leeks too. So I pulled out my standard reference, Joy of Cooking, and my soup book, Soup, A Way of Life by Barbara Kafka. I compared recipes for corn chowder which had similar ingredients. This is my version of Potato Leek and Corn Chowder. Amounts are estimated, as you can add or subtract the amount of ingredients to suit you:
Ingredients:
3-4 leeks, white and some green
4 potatoes
1/4 c salt pork or bacon (optional)
celery - 2 stalks
green pepper
salt
paprika
bay leaf
2 c milk
fresh corn - 3 or 4 ears (you can substitute canned or frozen)
fresh parsley
Prep:
Dice 1/2 green pepper and a couple stalks of celery
Slice leeks (white part and some green) and place in bowl of cold water, separating the rings to rinse. Lift out gently and drain, leaving dirt on the bottom of the bowl
Peel and dice potatoes, maybe 3 or 4 cups, 1/2" cubes
Dice 1/4 cup of salt pork (you can use bacon, or leave it out for a vegetarian soup)
Now for the fun part:
Saute the salt port until browned and crispy in a hot pan. This takes about 10 minutes to release the oils into the pan.
Add the leeks, celery and green pepper and continue browning. Cook off any water that collects.
Add the potatoes, 3 cups water, salt, paprika and a bay leaf. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and hand mash the mixture in the pot. The potatoes will thicken the soup. It will be lumpy.
Add the corn and 2 c hot milk. Simmer until corn is cooked through.
Add fresh chopped parsley and season with salt if desired.
Serve with a sprig of fresh parsley. Voila! It was filling and delicious!
