Comforting Corn Chowdah New England Style Recipes

BEST NEW ENGLAND CORN CHOWDA (CHOWDER)

Steps:

• Fry bacon until crisp.
• Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain; set aside.
• In a 4-quart saucepan or pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and add chopped onion.
• Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
• Add broth and cubed potatoes to pan (add some salt if you are using a less salty broth).
• Bring to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 10 minutes (this is for 1 inch cubes of potatoes).
• Stir in corn and heat through.
• Add cream and heat through again.
• If you prefer a thicker chowda, mix 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup of milk and shake until dissolved.
• Add a little at a time while the chowda is simmering until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Serve with crumbled bacon on top, a good dose of freshly ground pepper, and for those of you who want true authenticity, add a dollop of butter to the top of the steaming bowl.

NEW ENGLAND CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottom soup or saucepot, sauté the bacon in the butter on medium heat until the bacon is cooked, but not crisp. Add the flour and onion, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the potato, corn, milk, salt, black pepper, and stir well.
• Bring up to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low and cook, occasionally stirring, until the potatoes and onions are tender. Ladle half the chowder into a blender and blend into a fine puree. Add back into the pot with the other half the un-blended mixture. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

COMFORTING CORN CHOWDAH... NEW ENGLAND STYLE!

Steps:

• Start by peeling, cubing and boiling the potatoes in a large (preferably a lobster-sized) pot.
• While your potatoes are cooking, cut your bacon into small pieces and fry them crispy in a separate pan. Set the cooked bacon aside and keep the leftover oil on a medium heat.
• Chop your onions to your desired size and toss them into the bacon drippings, making sure to cook them long enough to look brown, but not crispy.
• Once your potatoes are done, dump them into a strainer. Rinse the excess starch from the pot and return it to the stove.
• Dump your drippings and onions into the pot and whisk in the flour over a medium heat.
• Once the flour is blended and is starting to take on a nutty color, take it off the heat and add a few tablespoons of water -- this will ensure that you don't scorch the milk that you're about to add inches.
• Let the pot sit off the heat for a minute or two after adding the water. Whisk in your milk slowly. If it starts to scorch, let it sit for another minute -- this is an easy way to burn it.
• Once you're able to pour in all the milk, add the cream.
• Dump all of the creamed and whole corn with the liquid into the pot.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low.
• Whisk in the all of the paprika, salt, and pepper -- You may wish to add more salt and pepper like I do, but I'm told I over-salt and pepper everything -- It's your call.
• Add the bacon.
• Go back to your potatoes and add half of them into the pot (careful, you don't want hot cream to splash back at you!) Using the whisk, mash the potatoes to thicken the cream.
• Add the rest of the potatoes and switch to a large wooden spoon, making sure to stir carefully along the bottom.
• Remember, if you start to feel any resistance building up at the very bottom of the pot, stir just above it -- this is a very easily scorched meal, but it's easy to avoid the scorched taste as long as you don't scrape it up!
• Let it simmer for at least a half an hour on low after all of your ingredients have been added. Make sure you check it often.
• Serve with cornbread to an army of friends and family for a comforting, delicious meal.