Corn & Chorizo Chowder

Yesterday, we realized we didn't have anything for lunch, nothing for sandwiches & no soup in the fridge. Matt offered to take me to Rustica for lunch but I figured I could probably throw a soup together from what we had in the house. I knew we had corn in the freezer so I suggested a corn chowder. I put the question out to my foodie friends on Twitter, should I go out or should I make chowder. The overwhelming response was for the chowder as long as I shared the recipe.

It was Matt's idea to add the chorizo & bacon we had in the fridge to the chowder. It's good ideas like this that remind me why I married him.

I have to say I was pretty impressed that we had everything including the fresh herbs on hand for this. The soup smelled & tasted wonderful. Cooking the aromatics in the bacon fat gives them such a great flavor. Then the chorizo adds a hint of paprika & a slight smokiness to the broth. Speaking of the broth, we used our homemade stock that is flavorful enough that we used half stock & half water, you can change this percentage based on how much flavor your stock has. This is a hearty soup that will definitely fill you up at lunchtime.

Corn & Chorizo Chowder

2 sliced good bacon, chopped
2 leeks, white & light green parts sliced
1 c yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz chorizo, sliced (This is Spanish style chorizo not Mexican. It is smoked & comes in links.)
2 T all-purpose flour
2 russet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 c chicken stock
2 c water
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
3 T fresh parsley, chopped
salt
pepper
1 1/2 c milk (we used 2%)
2 c corn, fresh or frozen

In a large heavy soup pot cook the bacon until crisp over medium heat. Move the bacon to a paper towel to drain but leave the fat in the pan. Set the bacon aside.

Add the leeks, onion, garlic & chorizo to the pot. Cook on medium for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour in & cook while stirring for 1 -2 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock & water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover & let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the thyme parsley plus salt & pepper to taste. Simmer covered for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Add the milk & corn. Simmer uncovered for another 5 - 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings.

5 - 6 servings

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