Corn Chowder

As an Ambassador for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I get challenges each month. One was to cook the Food Revolution recipe for corn chowder and the other was to use leftovers. I had frozen corn, leftover bacon, leftover stock, and leftover cream. Sounds like the start of corn chowder to me. This recipe ended up being a combination of two of his recipes: the Food Revolution one and one he posted as his Recipe of the Day. It's not very thick because there is only a small bit of cream. Feel free to use any type of cream you have in your fridge, even the half&half you usually put in your coffee.

Corn Chowder

(serves 6-8)

1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 slices thick bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 cups chicken or turkey stock
3 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 medium boiling potatoes, cut into ½" dice
½ to 1 teaspoon black pepper, depending on your taste
salt
½ cup cream (half & half, light, or heavy)
4 Tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oil and bacon in a soup pot. Once the bacon fat starts to melt, add the celery and onion. Cook slowly so the onions don't brown until the vegetables are soft, 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the corn, potatoes, black pepper, and salt*.  When the soup returns to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the cream and cook for 5 more minutes until hot. Check for seasonings. Garnish with parsley before serving.

*The amount of salt will depend on what kind of stock you use. My stock was unsalted and I needed a little bit more than 1 teaspoon. If your stock is salted, don't add any at this point and taste at the end to add more if you need it.