To kick off Soup Sundays, here is a recipe for a Summer Bacon and Corn Chowder, adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Summer Corn Soup. Her recipe calls for chilling the soup, but I personally cannot fathom the thought of chilling soup because I would be too tempted to eat it right away.
Before getting to the recipe, I want to let you know that my talented blogging friends, Thao, Melissa and Gregg are posting some awesome soup recipes today as well 🙂 Thao is posting a heavenly cioppino while Melissa and Gregg are posting a healthful Orange and Carrot soup. Please check their websites out!
The saltiness and crispness of the bacon goes well with the fresh bite of the green onion which contrasts against the rich, creamy soup. This is a great summer soup, but I think it could also be easily modified to become a fall and winter soup if you didn’t puree it and tossed in some pasta or cooked rice into the soup, then let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. This would yield a thicker and heartier soup that is great for the colder months of the year!
-Chewy
- 6-8 bacon slices
- ½ cup of corn kernels
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- A pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika
- Sour cream
- 2 cups milk
- About 2 cups of corn kernels plus the juice (2x341 ml cans of corn)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 big onion, diced into small pieces
- 1 carrot, cut into small cubes
- 1-2 stalks of celery, cut into small cubes
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock (Or substitute some bouillon cubes)
- 2 cups water
- 1-2 tsp dried thyme
- 1-2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- Ground white pepper and ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Cook bacon in a large pot or saucepan until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the fat inside the pan.
- Once the bacon has cooled down slightly, chop it up into small pieces and add the corn kernels, the green onion and a pinch of cayenne to the mix.
- In a pot, add the milk and corn kernels and allow it to come to a boil, then turn the heat off to allow for the corn to steep and infuse the milk.
- In the same large pot or saucepan used to fry the bacon, melt the butter and add the onions. Saute the onions in the butter over medium heat until they are translucent, 5-7 minutes. Make sure not to turn the heat onto high as we do not want to crisp up and brown the onions too much.
- Add the carrots, celery and garlic to the pot and saute for an extra 5-7 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are semi-tender, add the corn and milk, the water, the stock, thyme and rosemary, bay leaf and paprika and season if necessary. Simmer he soup for 15-20 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften even more and to allow all the flavors to mingle.
- After 15-20 of gentle simmering, begin blending the soup with an immersion blender/blender or leave it as is.
- If you are blending the soup, make sure to rewarm to keep the soup nice and hot 🙂
- Add a dollop of sour cream in the middle of the soup and top off with the bacon and corn garnish.
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Mmm this sounds so good. Bacon and corn is just about the perfect chowder combo. I know this is intended to be a chilled Summer version, but can’t resist thinking this would be great for the winter months mmmm
Definitely, I always have this soup hot, even the summer months!
Oh my goodness! I want to reach into my screen and grab that stunning bowl! This looks and sounds absolutely yummy!
Thank you your lovely comment, I appreciate it! <3
Yum! Sounds fabulous – I love the idea of adding bacon to a corn chowder 🙂
Thanks Amanda! The bacon definitely adds another great level of flavor and depth 🙂
This soup looks fantastic, Angela! I love, love bacon so this is right up my alley. I can eat it year round
I love bacon as well, Thao! And thank you for your kind words ?