Sunday, February 13, 2011

Shrimp and Corn Chowder with Bacon



We've been on a little hiatus here for this small gathering that we host called the Clay. But now that that's done, we are back in the kitchen.

This is the soup I want when I'm sick. I do love homemade chicken noodle, but I can't seem to make it like my dad does, so its just not as good. Corn + potatoes + bacon works though :)

Ingredients, makes 6-8 servings:

6 ears of corn
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half (or quarters if they are really big)
2 baking potatoes
6 scallions
4 strips of bacon
2 tablespoons of flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of cream
1 teaspoon of Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
splash of white wine
Salt
Pepper
olive oil (optional)



First, you strip the corn off of each cob. After you've cut the kernels off, take a spoon and collect as much pulp still on the cob as you can. It helps thicken the soup.



Then, fry the bacon in a dutch oven (or other pot, though its the same one you are going to cook the soup in so it needs to be able to handle a lot of liquid). I cut up the bacon before I fried it, but that was a pain in the ass to make sure it was cooked evenly. Just cook the bacon in strips and crumble it at the end when you are done.



While the bacon is frying, give your potatoes a small dice.



Also, the white part of the scallions.



Take out the bacon, and set aside. Add the white scallion parts and the potatoes to the pot of bacon greasy goodness. Here is where I added the splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. I also added a bit of olive oil because there wasn't enough grease to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.



Then you add the milk and cream. Then the Old Bay, thyme, salt and pepper.



Bring to a boil, then simmer.



When the potatoes are soft, add the corn, shrimp, and the green parts of the scallions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through.



Add the bacon to the top and serve! PS- you need to cook more bacon when you eat the leftovers, this is only enough bacon for your first serving.

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