Chowdah!

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I am so excited for Fall. Sure, Fall usually lasts about 4 days here and then we go straight into snowy, freezing winters, but man...those are 4 great days.

Besides the gorgeous weather, the other reason I love fall is that I love soup. I am fairly certain I could live on a diet composed solely of soup. It's just so good and so easy to make, despite what many people think. As an added bonus, it can usually be pretty healthy and filling.

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One of my husband's favorite soups is corn chowder. In all honesty, I have never been much of a corn chowder fan but I am slowly turning over a new leaf. He really likes The Noodle's corn chowder and one of the best things about that soup, in my opinion, is that they grill the corn. So, that was one thing I knew I wanted to do. I love, love, love grilled corn.

 I have seen millions of recipes for corn chowder. Some basic, some southwestern, some bisque, some southern...

I decided to just create a really basic recipe to start off with. I figured if I liked my base, I could add peppers or other vegetables and other herbs/spices later if I wanted to. I thought it turned out great, and my husband agreed.

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Grilled Corn Chowder

4 ears corn
olive oil or butter
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, diced
1 bay leaf
3/4 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Husk corn. Rub each ear with either olive oil or butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, until some kernels get charred/blistered (if you want, you can blanch the corn before doing this but I don't since it cooks on the grill and again in the soup). Once the ears are cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the ears. Set aside.

Cook bacon in a stockpot or dutch oven, until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. If there is more than 1 Tbsp or so of bacon fat left, pour out enough so that 1 Tbsp. remains.

Add onions, bay leaf and butter and cook until onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in potatoes and coat them with the fat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer about 10 minutes or until potatoes are almost done, but not quite.

Add in corn and simmer until potatoes have cooked completely.

Pluck out bay leaf. Put 1/4 of the mixture through a food mill or a food processor. (This is not necessary but I like doing it because I think it gives the soup great texture).  Add back into dutch oven.

Add cheese and half and half and simmer until heated through and cheese is melted.

Ladle into bowls and top with bacon (and more cheese, if desired).

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This makes about 6 good sized servings.

Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 225 / Fat: 12g / Carbs: 23g / Dietary Fiber: 3g / Protein: 8.6g