We’ve made corn chowder many times in the past and it’s usually made with half & half, whipping cream or at the very least whole milk (the 3.25% stuff) but this time, we needed to construct the chowder without it. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, we puzzles this out over a couple of days and came up with Plan B.
We try to accommodate a large number of dietary restrictions when we craft our food and this one is no exception. One of our relatives eats dairy (very sparingly) so when it was time to make dinner for the family, we wanted something that was a perfect autumn dish that is hearty & uses seasonal vegetables.
It’s easy to make and you don’t really need any special ingredients or equipment. You can do it on the stove top (how we did it) or you can chuck it all in a crockpot for 4 to 6 hours, and let it all come together.
Notes
You could finish with a fresh grated parmesan or asiago cheese and garlic bread.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon (this is where the cheap, utility bacon comes in handy)
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 3 large potatoes, diced
- 1 small to medium onion (use your favorite variety)
- 1 0.5 lb pack (227 g) sliced or 1 can of sliced (tinned) mushrooms (drained)
- You can also use a couple stalks of celery, a couple of utility carrots, a sweet bell pepper (any colour), and so on.
- 1 tsp fresh garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley or 3 tsp fresh, finely chopped parsley
- 2 tsp Herbs de Provence
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- 1 tbsp beef stock concentrate
- 1 tbsp chicken stock concentrate
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup corn starch for gluten-free version or 1/4 cup flour for regular
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- For either stove top or crock pot methods finely dice up all of your ingredients. For stove top method, place the onions & bacon in the pot and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes - until they start to caramelize. **Trick for better caramelization is to use 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or a fig balsamic vinegar. Add your corn, carrots & celery, herbs and honey at this time too then cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- Add your water and stock then cook on medium-low for about an hour. Your potato chunks should be fork tender at this point. Add your salt & pepper (8 to 10 turns of a mill or about 1/3 tsp of each) then give it all a good stir. Carefully transfer a cup of the broth to a 2 cup container and add your corn starch whisking until free from lumps and add back in to the chowder. Let simmer for about 15 minutes and it should be good to serve!
- For the crockpot method, combine all of your ingredients at the same time and reserve a cup of water (ensure it's hot) to mix your cornstarch or flour then add to the mixture and cook on medium for about 4 to 6 hours or low if you're going to do the all-day method. everything can be cut up the night before so you can just dump and run out the door if you're doing for a weeknight.
- For other variations, you can also add a can of clams (to make the clam chowder version) or a bag of seafood medley. Enjoy!