Soup Season is here.

I love autumn for a few reasons. The cooler weather, lower humidity, layering clothes and the food! All of the food I start to make this time of year gives you that cozy and comforting feeling of a blanket.

My husband likes soup but loves a good chowder. What makes it a chowder? In my book it starts with bacon or some kind of good fat that is a bit hearty and has potatoes in it. Some chef might come at me but to me that is the difference between and soup and chowder.

Corn Chowder or as they say in my husbands home state of MA, Corn Chowdah, fills that need for a hearty soup but has not meat in it. I use the Barefoot Contessa recipe to a tee. I don’t change anything about it but if you wanted this to be vegetarian you could not add the bacon and use a veggie stock. There is a little bit of dairy in it but you could sub that with almond milk if you are eliminating dairy from your diet.

I hope you enjoy it! Please comment if you get to share it with your friends and family.

Yield: 6-8

Barefoot Contessa Corn Chowder

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The perfect bowl of corn, cheddar and potatoes with a dash of bacon

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
• 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs and blanch the kernels for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn, you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and Cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.