Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 4 fresh corn cobs (or 500 g frozen or drained tinned kernels)
• 750 ml chicken or vegetable stock, hot
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 small red capsicum, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp plain flour (maida)
• 400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp smoked paprika or mild red chilli powder
• 250 ml full-fat milk
• 120 ml single or fresh cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced, to serve

Instructions

1. Stand each cob upright and slice off the kernels with a sharp knife. Then run the back of the knife down the bare cob to scrape out the sweet milky juices into the bowl of kernels. If using frozen or tinned corn, skip the cobs and go to step 3.
2. Put the stripped cobs in a saucepan with the hot stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes to pull the corn flavour into the stock. Lift out and discard the cobs.
3. While the stock simmers, melt the butter with the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and capsicum with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent but not browned, about 6 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle over the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute so it loses its raw smell and the vegetables look coated in a pale paste.
5. Pour in the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring well after each addition so no lumps form. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme and paprika.
6. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaf. Add two-thirds of the corn kernels and their juices. Ladle about a third of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth, or use a hand blender for a few short pulses directly in the pot. Return the blended soup to the pot if needed.
8. Add the remaining corn and simmer for 5 minutes until the kernels are tender but still bright yellow and the soup coats the back of a spoon.
9. Pour in the milk and cream and warm through for 3 minutes without letting the soup boil, which can make it split. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Serve hot, topped with spring onions.

Tips

• Simmering the stripped cobs in the stock adds real corn flavour, so do not skip this if you have fresh cobs.
• Blending only part of the soup thickens it while leaving plenty of whole kernels and potato pieces for texture.
• Add the milk and cream at the end and keep the heat low so the soup stays smooth.
• If the chowder is too thick after resting, thin it with a splash of warm stock or milk.