The Student Chef – Corn Chowder

Welcome back everyone to The Student Chef! After a year’s hiatus, I am back, and I have some great recipes lined up for you for the next couple of semesters straight from my journal. To those who are new here, firstly, welcome to Dalhousie! Welcome to my bi-weekly column, where I will be sharing some delicious, hearty and sometimes sweet recipes to make university life a tad easier.

This week’s recipe, a simple Corn Chowder, fits comfortably into the comfort food collection of recipes I try to curate between the beginning of fall and mid-winter, because as the temperatures gradually decrease, sometimes you just need a warm bowl of something substantial, and this one can be pretty low-effort.

I call for frozen corn here because it’s what I had on hand while developing this recipe, but I’ve made it since with fresh corn and canned corn, and all taste just as good — feel free to sub in whichever you have most readily available! Sub in 2 cans of corn and 3-4 cobs cut off if you have fresh; the chicken broth can also be subbed for vegetable broth.

Ingredients
3-4 cups of frozen corn
6 slices of raw bacon, chopped
3 cups of potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup of water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (or 2 tablespoons pre-minced)
1 tablespoon of thyme
½ tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of white sugar
1 ½ cups of heavy cream
2 ½ cups of chicken broth

Directions

1. Fry your chopped bacon in a deep saucepan until pretty crispy; it’ll need to be to retain its texture. If using a crock-pot, combine all ingredients in the pot excluding cream, and cook on high for 3 hours. Afterward, add in the cream and cook for another 15-20 minutes. If not, continue below.
2. Turn the heat to low, and add onion and garlic. Allow to fry slightly without overcooking the bacon.
3. Add water, potatoes, corn, spices, sugar and chicken broth to the pot, and simmer for 45 minutes, covered.
4. Check potatoes are soft with a fork, and to that stir in your cream. Allow to cook uncovered for another 12-15 minutes. Plate with shredded cheese and/or a loaf of crusty bread.

Got a cookie cat-astrophe? Your pasta came out wrong? Just need ideas for dinner? ASK CHARLIE – your culinary cat-sultant is standing by! Email me today at thestudentchef@dalgazette.com.