Cowboy Corn Chowder

I know it's summer time and you might think that it is too hot to want to eat soup but I had some corn in the fridge that needed to be cooked. I didn't want to do just regular corn on the cob. So I looked through some books and decided on a corn chowder recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients so I decided to improvise.

To start, shuck the corn and cut the ends off. Then with a sharp knife, cut off all the corn kernels.

Now that you have finished with that, dice and entire yellow onion. I cut my onion pieces into about dime size or smaller pieces.

Turn on your stove to medium. Chop up your strips of bacon and throw them in a large pot.

Once the bacon has cooked for about two minutes, add in the chopped onions. Let the onions cook, stirring frequently, until they are almost translucent.

You can now add in all your corn. Again, stir frequently and let cook for about five minutes.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth and then stir it all together.

After all the chicken broth is stirred in, add in your cream.

Stir all the cream in. The recipe called for chopped green chilies but I didn't have any. So I decided to try two tablespoons of green chili sauce instead. I also added in a tablespoon of tobasco sauce for some heat. Let this sit for about 20-25 minutes.

 While you wait, you can whisk together the water with three tablespoons of corn meal.

Once the soup is ready add in the cornmeal mixture and let thicken for about ten minutes. Take off the heat and enjoy with a warm tortilla.

The original recipe came from:

The Pioneer Women Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond

Corn Chowder

5 ears of corn chucked

2 slices thick bacon (I used an extra strip to add in more meat!)

1 medium yellow onion

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 four ounce can diced green chiles (I used 3 tablespoons green chili)

3 tablespoons cornmeal

salt to taste

2 tablespoons tobasco sauce

1. Corn chowder starts... with corn! Aren't you glad you have me here to tell you these things?

2. With a sharp knife, slice off the kernels from the cob.

3. Next, cut some bacon into 1-inch pieces. I like to just open up a package and lop an inch off the whole thing. Easier that way.

4. Cook the bacon pieces in a large pot over medium heat until the fat begins to render, about 2 minutes.

5. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook it until the onion is translucent and the bacon is cooked but still chewy, about 5 minutes.

6. Next, throw in the corn kernels. Stir them around and allow them to begin cooking.

7. After that pour in the low sodium chicken broth...

8. Followed by a nice, healthy (healthy?) splash of heavy cream. And okay, it's more than a splash.

9. Stir this around to combine. 

10. Add the green chiles. Adds a wonderful flavor.

(This is where I substituted the green chiles for green chili sauce, and added in the tobasco sauce).

11. Let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

12. At that point, mix the cornmeal with 1/4 cup water and stir together.

13. Stir the mixture into the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until thickened. Taste and add salt if needed.