Spicy Corn Chowder

I always thought corn chowder was kind of bland, which is why I hadn't made any yet this summer despite the abundance of corn. But then, while flipping through the Pioneer Woman cookbook, I happened upon her recipe for Corn Chowder with Chilies. Corn plus bacon, chipotles and chilies? This was more up my alley. I made it my own by subbing in the ingredients I had on hand (jalapenos instead of chilies and grilled corn instead of raw), and it was amazingly good. It packed quite a kick, though, so much so that my brother-in-law, who ate a bowl after getting home late at night, was caught a bit off guard. He did confirm that it was delicious despite the somewhat mouth-burning quality.

Between the time when I started writing this post yesterday and now we have picked up 8 more ears of corn from our CSA. Might be making another batch this week. Good thing I have a kitchen helper.

Spicy Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
5 ears corn, shucked, kernels removed (I used grilled, but boiled, raw, or frozen/thawed would work)
2 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2-1 cup heavy cream
kosher salt, to taste
3 Tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Put bacon pieces in a dutch oven or soup pot and cook for a few minutes until fat is rendered.
Add in butter and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until bacon is done and onion is translucent.
Add in corn, chipotle peppers and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes more.
Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream. I also added a few spoonfuls of the adobo sauce. I didn't really measure my cream, just did a turn around the pot until it looked sufficiently creamy enough.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal and water.
Add cornmeal mixture into the soup pot and cook for about 10 more minutes until slightly thickened.
Taste and add more salt, if necessary.
This can simmer for a long time, and as you know, soup is always better on the second day.
Served with a sprinkle of cilantro or parsley, if you aren't Jon, who thinks he doesn't like those things.

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