Chunky Herbed Potato-Corn Chowder with Bacon
Cuisine: American
Author: Nancy Baggett
Heartwarming and hearty, this home-style chowder is perfect for a cool weather lunch or supper. The flavors of the bacon, potatoes, corn, lavender, and thyme mingle together for a very gratifying one-dish meal. Feel free to make the chowder ahead; the flavor improves during storage. Notice that I call for culinary lavender buds. Be sure to look for lavender varieties that are designed for cooking and especially tasty--called L angustifolia, or true lavender, or English lavender. You can learn more about culinary lavender if you check out the sample pdf of my book.
Ingredients
  • 6 or 7 slices smoked bacon
  • 1 large onion and 1 large celery stalk, chopped
  • ¾ teaspoon each coarsely ground dried culinary lavender buds and dried thyme leaves
  • 3½ cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups peeled and cubed (1/3-inch) Yukon Gold, red bliss or other boiling potatoes
  • ¼ tsp each black pepper and sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1½ cups rinsed and drained frozen yellow corn kernels
  • 1 cup table cream or whipping cream
Instructions
  1. Fry the bacon slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until they are just cooked through and nicely browned. Transfer them to paper towels; let drain until cool enough to handle, then finely crumble into bits. Put 2½ tablespoons rendered bacon fat in a 3- to 4-quart soup pot or saucepan; discard the rest.
  2. Place the pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 or 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Stir in the lavender and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute longer.
  3. Immediately stir in the broth, potatoes, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potato is cooked through.
  4. If desired, with a potato masher, or the back of a large spoon, mash about ½ cup potatoes to slightly thicken the soup. Stir in the corn, crumbled bacon (reserve a little for garnish, if desired, and cream and continue cooking, uncovered, about 5 minutes longer to reheat and allow the flavors to mingle.
  5. Taste and add salt and more pepper if desired. Thin the soup with a little hot water, if desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat, stirring frequently, to prevent burning. Garnish with reserved crumbled bacon, if desired. Makes 4 or 5 main-dish servings.
Recipe by KitchenLane at http://kitchenlane.com/2016/10/the-art-of-cooking-with-lavender.html