Don’t let summer’s fresh corn exit the season without making Old Bay Sweet Corn Chowder ! The supply is dwindling as the summer winds down with it’s fresh choices as our palates switch gears to the fabulous autumnal flavors which coordinate well the crisper air.
Saute the yellow onions with garlic in the butter and olive oil mixture until translucent. Yellow onions have a sweet flavor which compliments the corn marvelously! I used a rather large one and needed about 3/4 of it to obtain the amount needed for this recipe. Sprinkle thyme over onions and whisk to distribute their flavor.
Once completed, sprinkle the onions with the flour and whisk to combine before adding the vegetable broth.
Dice the Yukon Gold potatoes into small chunks and add them to broth along with the cream after last step reaches a boiling point. Return to a hard boil for about 10 minutes. I love that these help give the chowder a more authentic golden color!
Lower heat to simmer as you stir in corn with the salt, pepper, Old Bay and crisped bacon strips. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Mash some of the softened potatoes against the sides of the pot; this will help thicken the chowder. Remove about 2 cups of the broth, including corn and potatoes. Puree this in a blender and stir back into the pot.
Before serving, add in the chopped parsley and green onions and simmer for a couple of additional minutes. Sprinkle chowder with cheese, more sliced green onions and liberal dashes of ahhh-mazzz-ing Old Bay seasoning. Yes, I said liberal dashes because there’s never enough Old Bay in anything a Marylander eats. So even if you have moved out of the state, you can reminisce your roots and fly back to Maryland for a night for the cost of creating this fabulous treat!
With those toppings added to the raw, and still fabulous form(above), you’ve created a tasteful masterpiece!
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Cook time:
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Serves: 8-10 servings
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ c. yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed
- 6 slices of bacon, cut into ¼-1/2 inch strips
- 1½ t. fresh thyme (1/2 t. dried)
- ¼ c. all purpose flour
- 6 c. vegetable stock
- 2 c. heavy cream(or ½ and ½ for a lighter version)
- 1 pound Yukon Gold peeled and diced, about 3 cups
- 6 ears of fresh corn, kernels stripped off (*see notes)
- ½ t. black pepper
- ½ t. Kosher salt
- 1 T. Old Bay seasoning
- 2 T. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 3 green onion stems, finely diced
- In Dutch Oven, or similar-sized pot, melt butter on low heat with olive oil.
- Saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
- In a separate pan, cook bacon until golden brown and drain on paper towels until ready to use.
- Add in fresh thyme and circulate throughout onion mixture.
- Sprinkle flour over onion mixture and whisk into onions until coated evenly.
- Stir in vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
- Pour in cream with the diced potatoes and boil hard about 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat; add corn with salt, pepper, Old Bay and bacon. Simmer for about 10 more minutes.
- Smash some of the potatoes on the side of the pot.
- Remove about 2 cups of the broth containing potatoes and corn; puree in blender and return to pot. Stir in to combine into chowder.
- Add fresh parsley and green onions.
- Ladle into soup crock; top with cheese, if desired, and sprinkle with more green onions and another dash of Old Bay.
