Posted 11/18/15:
Last month I was at a restaurant in Maryland that served grilled corn chowder. It was “Wow!” delicious. I’m not the kitchen person at our home, but this stirred a longing to cook that I had not felt in a long time. That, coupled with the chill in the air, and being left to fend for myself in the kitchen for almost 9 days, caused me to look for hot soup recipes, and I started with an old favorite!
Jade was dubious about me working in front of the stove, with good reason. The previous week I had burned something that created a pervasive odor in the cabin for days. However I was able to successfully produce a pot of corn chowder that lasted for 3 days, without burning anything. Whenever I put something on the stove and walk away, she will come to let me know that I should be staying at the stove. She’s a step ahead of the boys. They would come when something started to sizzle. She feels that a margin of safety is in order, which seems warranted.
So this is how the recipe came out: Instead of being “naked”, I used cream. It starts like French onion soup (my main variation).
1. Slice a large onion into a large sauce pan with butter.
2. Once the onions are caramelizing add diced ham. Brown sugar or molasses cured him has a better flavor match for this stew.
3. Alo while the onions are caramelizing, dice three medium to large potatoes and pre-cook those in the microwave for about 8 to 9 minutes with a lid on.
4. And the potatoes to the ham and onions, and pour in about a cup to a cup and a half of half and half. If you can afford to be exta calorie daring, use some heavy cream also. This improves the consistency. Some types of potatoes exude enough starch to thicken the chowder. Otherwise if you want a thicker liquid you may need to add a flour or corn starch solution.
5. Add approximately 12 ounces of frozen sweet corn. You may also want to add a little more salt than what comes from the ham.
6. Let the pot simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes.
When you’re ready to eat some, finely dice a fresh green pepper and add that on top of your dish, along with a little ground cayenne pepper. Crackers are optional. The first sip of the broth should knock your socks off. The flavors from the caramelized onions and the smoke and caramelized flavors from the ham merge with the butter and cream in a way that is indescribable.
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