Corn Chowder with Parmesan Cheese
Servings 6
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 carrot diced
- ¼ red bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves only (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small Parmesan rind
- 2 Idaho russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups of whole milk or cream
- 3½ cups of fresh or frozen corn
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ½ cup of Parmesan Cheese finely grated
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Once cooked, remove and drain the grease on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
- Prepare the soup by adding chopped onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and fresh thyme to the Dutch oven, and cook, stirring often, for 8-9 minutes or until soft.
- Add garlic and cook for 45 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add chicken broth, bay leaf, small parmesan rind, potatoes, corn, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
- In a separate bowl, ladle hot soup slowly into the 2 cups of milk until it becomes warm. Once warm, pour slowly into the hot soup. Note: Never pour cold milk into hot soup–it will curdle.
- Simmer the soup on low until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind from the soup.
- If you prefer a chunky soup, leave it as is. For a thinner soup, use your immersion blender to blend until creamy and smooth.
- To serve the soup, stir in the Parmesan cheese and parsley just before serving.
- Garnish with bacon crumbles. Enjoy.